Getting Straight A's at Harvard Might Not Be So Easy Anymore

"Faculty are voting on three separate provisions of a proposal made by Harvard's faculty grading subcommittee which would make major changes to how the school evaluates undergraduates. Each only requires a simple majority to pass. 1) A "20 percent plus 4" cap on A grades Instructors would only be able to award A's to 20 percent of undergraduate students enrolled in a course, with the option of awarding A's to an additional four students per course, regardless of the size of the class. That provision is meant meant to protect students enrolled in small seminars."

"There would be no cap on A-minuses. (There is no A-plus at Harvard; a flat A is the highest possible grade, and is meant to indicate work of "extraordinary distinction.") 2) A new percentile-based internal ranking system for honors and awardsHarvard currently determines which students are distinguished with honors and awards based on their grade point average (GPA). This new system would shift to students' average percentile rank (APR) instead."

"This new system would shift to students' average percentile rank (APR) instead. Instructors would submit students' raw scores in"

Harvard faculty are voting on a proposal to reduce grade inflation by changing how undergraduate performance is evaluated. The plan includes a cap on the number of A grades instructors can award, allowing A grades to be given to 20 percent of students in a course plus an additional four students, with no cap on A-minus grades. It also replaces GPA-based honors and awards with a percentile-based internal ranking system using students’ average percentile rank. Instructors would submit raw scores, and the system would determine which students receive honors and awards based on relative standing. The proposal has generated strong debate within and outside the university.

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