An ‘A’ for average: Is Harvard’s grade inflation damaging its academic culture?

Harvard University's grading system is under renewed scrutiny. A recent report by the Office of Undergraduate Education has concluded that the system is failing in its most basic purpose: to differentiate the quality of student work. The 25-page report, obtained by The Harvard Crimson , found that more than 60% of all grades awarded to undergraduates are now As. Two decades ago, that figure was closer to a quarter. The report describes this shift as a threat to “the academic culture of the College.” Amanda Claybaugh, Harvard’s Dean of Undergraduate Education, who authored the report, argues that the rise in top grades has blurred the meaning of achievement. She writes that the trend calls for reforms that would “restore the integrity of grading” and rebuild a culture once rooted in