The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of College

While it seems colleges across the country should maintain consistent grading systems from year to year, over the past several decades grade inflation has skyrocketed. [NYTimes]

Studies have shown that private colleges award higher grades on average than public schools. [NYTimes]

Some schools have recognized grade inflation at other institutions and in turn decided to formally inflate their own grading systems. For example, Loyola Law School of Los Angeles in the Spring of 2010 announced it would be raising all students’ GPAs by .333 and altering its grading methods as well. See here for articles on the implementation, as well as the pros and cons of such a move by the administration. [The Chronicle] [NYTimes]

Princeton University has received both praise and critique for restricting the number of A’s awarded to its students to combat grade inflation. This move, rather than spreading to many colleges across the country, has had little success in gaining traction and the Princeton students themselves have expressed intense dislike for the grading system in place. [NYTimes]