Harvard deciding whether to give fewer A’s

A type of inflation unrelated to the price of a Dunkin’ coffee is on the ballot at that one school “in Boston.” A Harvard faculty committee began a weeklong vote yesterday on whether to cap the number of A’s allowed per course in a bid to combat grade inflation.

The measure would limit professors to giving A grades to just a fifth of the class, plus four extra students. A rule that would tie honors to class rank instead of GPA is also on the ballot.

Make A’s great again

The proposed changes come as some faculty and external critics—including the Trump administration—say that A’s becoming more common than nepo babies on Ivy League campuses eroded the grade’s value as a marker of excellence.

• A’s accounted for 60% of grades awarded to Harvard undergrads last year, compared with 25% in 2005.
• Last year, 55 Harvard students tied for the school’s top GPA award, an honor that used to be clinched by one or two students per year.

Proponents of A austerity say it’ll motivate students to work harder, while making it easier for employers and grad schools to gauge their performance. But many undergrads and some faculty oppose mandated A scarcity, claiming it’ll pit classmates against each other and hurt Harvard students’ competitiveness.

Big picture: Supporters hope a grading overhaul at Harvard will spur other top schools to curb grade inflation.—SK