3 ms·

One Solution for Too Many A's? Harvard Considers Giving A+ Grades

4 points by bookofjoe 9mo ago

bookofjoe 9mo ago
https://archive.ph/PbHsW https://archive.ph/PbHsW
cs702 9mo ago
"These go to eleven." - Nigel Tufnel, Spinal Tap Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgx4k83zzc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgx4k83zzc
tromp 9mo ago
Next year: One solution for too many A+'s? Harvard considers giving A++ grades. Here in the Netherland's "energy label" home insulating rankings, we're up to A++++ [1] [1] https://nieuwbouw.nl/begrijp-nieuwbouw/koop/bouwen/78-de-verschillen-tussen-energielabel-a-a-a-a-en-a https://nieuwbouw.nl/begrijp-nieuwbouw/koop/bouwen/78-de-ver...
bell-cot 9mo ago
IIR, grade inflation was supposedly started by the Vietnam-era draft exemption rules - students without high grades lost their exemptions, and professors and colleges were often reluctant to "send them off to die". Unfortunately, nobody at the table cared much about getting it under control - let alone rolling it back - after the draft was eliminated in '73. With all the recent stories about Harvard Literature majors being unable to focus long enough to actually read literature, rampant cheating with AI, etc. - maybe they should just give A+'s to all students paying full tuition, A's to those paying up to 80% full tuition, and so on. And recruiters & such should regard every grade above a 'D' as "occasionally bothered to show up".
- bookofjoe 9mo ago
  Re: >With all the recent stories about Harvard Literature majors being unable to focus long enough to actually read literature See: >The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/college-students-movies-attention-span/685812/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/college-students-m... https://archive.ph/x9GLZ https://archive.ph/x9GLZ
  - bell-cot 9mo ago
    The Atlantic seems to give at least some coverage to the good-news side of this - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/youth-reading-books-professors/685825/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/youth-reading-book...

4 points by bookofjoe 9mo ago

https://archive.ph/PbHsW https://archive.ph/PbHsW

cs702 9mo ago

"These go to eleven." - Nigel Tufnel, Spinal Tap Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgx4k83zzc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgx4k83zzc

tromp 9mo ago

Next year: One solution for too many A+'s? Harvard considers giving A++ grades. Here in the Netherland's "energy label" home insulating rankings, we're up to A++++ [1] [1] https://nieuwbouw.nl/begrijp-nieuwbouw/koop/bouwen/78-de-verschillen-tussen-energielabel-a-a-a-a-en-a https://nieuwbouw.nl/begrijp-nieuwbouw/koop/bouwen/78-de-ver...

bell-cot 9mo ago

IIR, grade inflation was supposedly started by the Vietnam-era draft exemption rules - students without high grades lost their exemptions, and professors and colleges were often reluctant to "send them off to die". Unfortunately, nobody at the table cared much about getting it under control - let alone rolling it back - after the draft was eliminated in '73. With all the recent stories about Harvard Literature majors being unable to focus long enough to actually read literature, rampant cheating with AI, etc. - maybe they should just give A+'s to all students paying full tuition, A's to those paying up to 80% full tuition, and so on. And recruiters & such should regard every grade above a 'D' as "occasionally bothered to show up".

bookofjoe 9mo ago
Re: >With all the recent stories about Harvard Literature majors being unable to focus long enough to actually read literature See: >The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/college-students-movies-attention-span/685812/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/college-students-m... https://archive.ph/x9GLZ https://archive.ph/x9GLZ
- bell-cot 9mo ago
  The Atlantic seems to give at least some coverage to the good-news side of this - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/youth-reading-books-professors/685825/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/youth-reading-book...