Grading Curves A Bad Fit For Harvard, Princeton

To the editors:

Establishment of normal distribution curves for grades at institutions like Princeton or Harvard is simply a silly response to the noise over this subject (News, “Princeton Will Consider Cap On High Grades,” April 9). The proposed solution at Princeton is to limit the number of A-range grades to an arbitrary percentage. The premise for this cap is that there is indeed a problem of grade inflation. Is there really a problem? If so, what are the objective conditions that identify the problem, more substantively than just a reaction to the grade charts?

Primary selection criteria for admission to these schools is a student’s academic performance post-secondary. Other criteria include talent in one or more areas that will contribute to the institution. If Princeton and Harvard are selecting top performing high school students, and those students are pursuing those interests for which they have great talents, then there should be little surprise that those students would continue to excel and to earn A grades. That should not be too difficult to figure out.

There is such a thing as grade inflation. When a graduate leaves a college with a 3.5 GPA, and you interview that student, and you soon determine that the kid can’t read, write, articulate or think very well, then I’d argue that that school has grade inflation. It is not grade inflation if objective standards for earning an A exist, and the students are achieving or exceeding those standards regardless of the percentage of students who do so. You should not socialize this thing to the point that student accomplishment is short-changed by some other agenda than the recognition of his or her performance.

STAN WATSON

April 11, 2004