It’s been a tough few months for elite American universities—polarized campuses, morally questionable leadership, and fraudulent researchers who inspire headlines worthy of The Onion’s front page.
But amidst all the higher ed drama, another story caught my attention this week. A new study found that nearly 80 percent of all grades given to undergraduates at Yale last academic year were A’s or A-minuses.
On the surface, grade inflation might not seem like a big deal. If anything, students who have been studying amid a global pandemic and teen mental health crisis deserve some slack.
But this article made me think twice. If everyone gets an A, what does the grade even mean? And what lesson are we teaching kids who are about to enter a less forgiving world?
I’m curious about what you think about this one: Do grades matter?
Here’s the piece: Nearly Everyone Gets A’s at Yale. Does That Cheapen the Grade?
Warmly,
Simo
P.S. The song of the week is a French nu-disco track that seems to fit just about every mood. The full songs of the week playlist is here.
I like the sound of this. “The trend has scrambled the very meaning of grades themselves” — good. Grades build in a competitiveness that doesn’t need to exist, based on a biased scale. It’s unfortunate that that competition is moving into other realms, but if we can strip grades of their meaning (starting at a younger age), maybe that’s a good first step toward a world where humans aren’t constantly measured against one another?