(OK, this is my third attempt in three days to get this particular post through the server... --RAB)
> > Since grades can't get any higher than an A, doesn't > > grade inflation merely squeeze out information > > regarding graduates as the grade scale gets compressed > > at the high end? > > You would think that smart employers would know to rate a B+ student from a > tough-grading school more favorably than an A- student from an easy-grading > school. But there are too many schools, and most employers aren't using a > national database of with statistics about each school. > Grade inflation ignorance can also be seen in the several organizations > which equate GPAs across schools and majors, by for example setting minimum > required GPAs to apply. These include a lot of jobs on and off campus and > some graduate programs. Not to mention fraternities and most honor > societies, graduation with distinction, and qualification for undergraduate > honors programs. (but I digress) I believe there is some evidence that grade inflation is not uniform across fields, at the same school. When I was an undergrad, the conventional wisdom among sutdents was that grades depended on the street where the class was held -- meaning, on the street occupied by the science and math departments and the engineering school, the average grade given was a full point below the average for the rest of the campus. I never personally saw the data for that claim, but it did somewhat reflect my personal experience, and I believe there is data out there someplace showing this is a general trend. It is worth noting that this could reflect either subject-biased grade inflation (easier grading in humanities and social sciences relative to science/math/engineering), or subject-biased content deflation -- grades might represent the same degree of mastery of the subject, but some departments (Hum/SocSci) teach easier material. In this latter case, there could still be subject-unbiased grade inflation also, of course. In a world in which grad schools and employers set minimum GPAs to apply, equating them across majors, the losers are those in the harder(-grading) majors. --Robert ------------------------------------------------------------------------ First Law of Work: If you can't get your work done in the first 24 hours, work nights.
