78 CHAPTER 3 | FRom IdEnTIFyIng ClAIms To AnAlyzIng ARgumEnTs8910without institutional backing, individual faculty members simply yield
to whining students.
But not everywhere. The most cited — and extreme — case of taking
on grade inflation is at Princeton University, which in 2004 directed that
A’s account for less than 35 percent of undergraduate course grades.
From 2004 to 2007, A’s (A-plus, A, A-minus) accounted for 40.6 percent
of undergraduate course grades, down from 47 percent in the period
2001 to 2004.
Closer to home, Wellesley College calls for the average grade in basic
undergraduate courses to be no higher than a B-plus (3.33 GPA). “It’s
not that we’re trying to get grades down, but we’re trying to get grades
to mean something,” says associate dean of the college Adele Wolfson,
who teaches chemistry. Wellesley’s GPA, which stood at 3.47 in 2002 and
was 3.4 when the policy was implemented two years later, fell to 3.3 this
year, mainly because of more B grades and fewer A’s. “The A has really
become the mark of excellence,” she says, “which is what it should be.”
The problem, says Rojstaczer, is that such policies are the excep-
tions, and that grade inflation will be reduced only through consistent
prodding and action by top officials. “In truth, some university leaders
are embarrassed that grading is so lax, but they are loath to make any
changes,” he says in an e-mail. “Grade inflation in academia is like the
alcoholic brother you pretend is doing just fine. When someone calls
your brother a drunk, you get angry and defend him, although privately
you worry. That’s where we are with grade inflation: public denial and
private concern.”A Practice sequence: Analyzing and Comparing Arguments■^1 To practice these strategies, first break up into small groups to
disc uss four different concerns surrounding grade inflation:
Group 1: Define what you think grade inflation is.
Group 2: Discuss whether you think grade inflation is a
problem at the university or college you attend. What
evidence can you provide to suggest that it is or is not a
problem?
Group 3: Why should students or faculty be concerned with
grade inflation? What’s at stake?
Group 4: How would you respond if the administration at
your university or college decided to limit the number
of A’s that faculty could give students?
Reassemble as a class and briefly report on the discussions.03_GRE_5344_Ch3_055_079.indd 78 11/19/14 11:06 AM