Making High Marks Is Easier Than Before; U-Va. Forum Addresses Grade Inflation
Addressing a meeting of University of Virginia administrators, students and faculty members, professor W. Dean Harman conceded today that he isn't sure how to grade his students.</br></br>But knowing that many professors at other colleges aren't so picky about awarding A's, Harman said, he feels inclined to relax his own standards. Otherwise, his students would be at a disadvantage when they compete with undergraduates from other colleges for admission to graduate school, he said.</br></br>"I feel pressure to inflate grades so students aren't punished for taking a challenging course," Harman said.</br></br>His comments were part of a university forum on grade inflation, an issue that universities across the country are trying to address. The meeting, attended by about 50 people, was organized by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Melvyn P. Leffler, who said he wanted to give professors and students an outlet to discuss the problem candidly.</br></br>U-Va. and many other universities say that students' grades keep rising. At U-Va., the grade-point average for all undergraduates is now 3.18, compared with 3.09 in 1989.