comment: >
  
  I would argue the exact opposite of what you are. The GPA system needs to be built to reflect lower grades, not higher. In the past 40 years GPAs have drifted up almost a full .5 points. Someone with a 4.0 average today would theoretically have been expected to have a 3.5 40 years ago. So... a student who would have had a 3.5 and a student who would have had a 4.0 grade 40 years ago would have a 4.0 average today. What you have done by all of those round ups is taken away the accomplishments of those students who would have had a 3.6 or above 40 years ago. 40 years ago a 4.0 might have been enough on its own to take you to the next level and/or get you that scholarship. Now it is a 4.0 and x,y,z.
context: I would argue that a mitigating factor is that GPA isn't really used for individual classes, but over the whole education. In that time frame, we might assume that a student's course grades will be randomly distributed about their "true competence" in that class, so in fact an 89% student is only slightly less likely to get an A- than a 90% student. Thus, their average grade should tend to reflect that, where they'll both be hanging out around a 3.5 over the forty or so courses that constitute a degree. >
  
  Sure, there may be some mitigation but I don't see how this makes the conversion of in-class percentage to 4.0 any better.  To receive a 3.5, one must have an equal amount of A- and B+ (of the same credit value). Meaning that a typical 0.5% of in-class, in all of one's classes, has the weight of 0.2 on the 4.0 scale. Thats a massive step for what could simply be a student getting a single question wrong in every class. >
  
  Do all classes have the same grading scales now? When I was in college each class tended to have its own grading scale, which was then potentially subject to a curve being implemented. In my experience, an 89% in one class could be a B+, while that same percentage could be an A in another. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to associate GPA to raw percentages of points you received in all classes. >
  
  It really depends on the state and school. For the case youre referencing most professors usually convert the percentage into a letter based on their own criteria but the vast majority use the same metric. >
  
  I would challenge your assertion that a vast majority use the same metric. That certainly differs from my experience and from what I’ve generally seen, professors have freedom to grade on whatever scale they choose. 
  A raw percentage score that a student receives can be as much a reflection of the quality of the teacher and how easy a given assignment is.