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Re: Concerned about grades (longish)



Grade Inflation? is a very difficult topic with which to deal.

Is it a problem? If so do we care? If we care should we do anything?
Should we do anything if nobody else on campus is doing anything about it?
If employers only look at numbers without considering reputation of schools
or difficulty of classes taken; does that affect how we answer the above
questions.

Our most recent catalog (years 2000-2002) describes the following grade
system. (Note: at our school there are no provisions for +- grades)

A = Exceptional 4.0 grade points
B = Superior 3.0 grade points
C = Average 2.0 grade points
D = Passing 1.0 grade points
F = Failure

Using the ordinary meaning of the above words I'd estimate that a
substantial number of the faculty at our university (I may or may not be
amoung them) are in violation of our stated grading policy; which is to say
somebody is guilty of fraud; I don't quite know who, but somebody is.

The average graduating GPA for our school is near 3.4, that statement needs
to be tempered with the knowledge that as is typical of state universities,
we have approximately a 50% retention rate for Freshman following through
to
graduate.

Its easy to say grade inflation is bad, so one should hold up standards; or
to ignore the issue and say in affect, who cares, job retention being of
some concern for me; or do nothing for noble reasons, realizing that
comparisons of easy majors and hard majors will be made, so its only fair
to
raise your class averages. etc etc.

My modest proposal, which I can not implement is the following.

Grade transcripts should indicate a GPA and a four year moving average for
the discipline, and how many standard deviations the GPA is from that
average.

E.g. Joe Blow physics major transcript might read

GPA = 3.4, and the average of all graduating physics majors for the last
four years was 3.2 making Joe Blow 0.1 standard deviations above the mean
for said physics majors.

Whereas, John Doe, an underwater soap carving major, may have a transcript
that reads

GPA = 3.95, with the average for all underwater soap carving majors being
3.91, making John Doe .01 standard deviations above the average for
underwater soap carving majors.


A year or so ago somebody
said that
they have actually implemented such grading policies at some
Ivy League
universities (no C's).

I've heard this too, I don't know if it is actual policy, or if its just
the
result of grade inflation; or perhaps more insiduously, if it is
"unofficial
policy".

Joel Rauber
Joel_Rauber@sdstate.edu