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Rip Pisacreta
>Teacher Fights 'Grade Inflation'
>The New York Times
>February 7, 2001
>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
>BOSTON (AP) -- Harvard University professor Harvey C. Mansfield's
>reputation of being a tough grader earned him the nickname ``Harvey
>C-Minus.''
>Now he is getting attention for his one-man stand against what he calls
>grade inflation.
>The government professor is giving students who take his class this
>semester two grades: an official grade that will go on their transcripts,
>and a separate mark he thinks they really deserve.
>``I'm trying this out as an experiment ... to address the grievous decline
>in academic standards at American colleges,'' Mansfield said.
>Grade inflation started during the Vietnam War when professors gave
>students higher grades because those with low grades ``could lose their
>deferment and be sent to war,'' Mansfield said. The practice is now based
>on the ``notion that education must make students feel good about
>themselves,'' he said.
>Mansfield is using the two-grade system in his undergraduate ``History of
>Modern Political Philosophy'' course. He said it will allow him to evaluate
>student performance without unfairly damaging their grade-point averages,
>often used by graduate schools to determine admission.
>``People laughed when he first announced it,'' said Roman Martinez, a
>senior in the class. Students stopped laughing when they realized they
>would benefit, he said.
>``In the past, Professor Mansfield has been giving tougher grades and that
>punished students who took his class,'' Martinez said. ``This will affect
>us in that we will get the inflated grades on our transcripts.''
>Mansfield's official grades will be based on the average grades of all
>Harvard's undergraduate classes last year. Citing information from the
>registrar, Mansfield said 51 percent of undergraduate grades at Harvard
>last year were either A's or A-minuses. ``And that is ridiculous,'' he
>said. This semester, he will give that percentage of his students A's or
>A-minuses.
>``His actions are an example to the academic community of a teacher taking
>his responsibility seriously,'' said Bradford P. Wilson, executive director
>of the National Association of Scholars. The group was founded in 1987 to
>fight perceived declines in higher education standards.
>Wilson said studies have shown that while the number of A's given by
>colleges has increased in the last 30 years, the number of C's has
>decreased.
>Not everyone agrees with Mansfield, a tenured professor who has been on the
>faculty since 1962.
>``Harvey Mansfield is one of the nation's leading political scientists, but
>this is a stunt to draw attention to his pet peeve,'' said Terry Hartle,
>senior vice president of the American Council on Education.
>Hartle said students today are more prepared for college than they were 40
>years ago.
>``Baloney,'' Mansfield said. ``Even if students are getting better, we
>should be applying higher standards.''
>While some of Mansfield's colleagues may agree with his position, it is
>unlikely to lead to a grading revolution, said Roderick MacFarquhar,
>chairman of Harvard's government department.
>``It is fair to say quite a few people agree with him, but I think most
>people will not follow his lead,'' he said.
>Even Mansfield is not sure his stand will help. ``It's not a situation that
>can be cured by one person alone,'' he said.
>^------
>On the Net:
>Harvard University government department: http://www.gov.harvard.edu
>American Council on Education: http://www.acenet.edu
>National Association of Scholars: http://www.nas.org
>
>
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