Nearly four years ago, the University announced a landmark change in its grading policy, decreeing that only 35 percent of the grades given by each department could be in the "A" range. This fall has seen the publication of the results of two major surveys — one conducted by the administration, the other by the USG — on how the new grading policy has affected Princeton students. USG president Alex Lenahan '07 announced the results of the USG survey in an email to students last week, fulfilling his campaign pledge to address the issue.
Under normal circumstances, editorials reflect the consensus of the Editorial Board of The Daily Princetonian. In this instance, however, the board was divided on whether to support Lenahan's efforts to continue to question the grading policy and its impact on Princeton students. It is the board's policy in such circumstances to publish both a majority opinion, representing the majority consensus of the board, as well as a dissenting editorial. This editorial represents the opinion of the majority.
We believe that the grading policy poses significant harm to academic life at Princeton. As an issue of great concern, the University's grading policy deserves the attention of the USG. Lenahan deserves praise for his efforts to press the administration on the necessity and efficacy of the grading policy. By virtue of his position, Lenahan has a responsibility to pay close attention to issues that are of great importance and concern to students, as the grading policy undoubtedly is. In doing so, he rightly questions whether the University's efforts to combat grade inflation are necessary to maintain high academic standards, as well as whether the grading initiative is being implemented fairly and effectively.
Though the administration's survey showed that the grading policy has had no demonstrable impact on the success of Princeton graduates in the job market and when applying for graduate schools, the USG survey reveals that the administration's efforts to reign in grade inflation have produced some troubling effects. Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents reported that students are less likely to work collaboratively after the grading policy was implemented, while 72percent reported that academic competitiveness has increased. These results suggest that the policy of grade deflation discourages students from taking intellectual risks and collaborating because of the increased focus on grades.
Despite the many alleged benefits of the grading policy, few of Princeton's peer institutions have adopted similar measures, and several have explicitly rejected the policy. One may therefore reasonably question whether the impact of the grading policy is as unabashedly positive as many of its supporters claim.
While Lenahan's efforts are unlikely to result in a major change in the grading policy, there is enough credible evidence, both quantitative and anecdotal, of the grading policy's deleterious implications to warrant further attention. From influencing a student's choice of classes to post-graduation prospects, grades play a large role in every undergraduate's experience. The prospect of University policy having a negative impact on academic life or a student's future is worthy of great attention, and Lenahan is to be applauded for recognizing this.
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