Reflecting a national trend in higher education, average freshman fall semester grades at UW-Madison rose almost two-tenths of a grade point over the past decade. Administrators at campuses across the country, those at UW-Madison as no exception, say the inflation is a result of smarter students and more stringent admissions standards.
For example, Harvard University administrators have repeatedly justified reports of extensive inflation throughout its various departments.
The most striking numbers pointing to rampant grade inflation at the school were published in a study done last October by The Boston Globe. In 2001, 51 percent of the grades given out at Harvard were As or A minuses. Ninety-one percent of its graduates left with an honors distinction, which requires only a B minus in the major subject to attain.
According to the UW-Madison commencement guide from spring 2001, approximately 20 percent of those receiving degrees within the College of Letters and Science also received some kind of honors distinction.
The grade inflation problem at other schools is not a major concern for UW-Madison faculty, even though the average freshman fall semester GPA rose from 3.005 to 3.171 in a decade, according to UW-Madison Provost Peter Spear.
\The question becomes whether the increase in grades occurs because it's getting easier or because we're admitting better students,"" Spear said.
Spear added that although the topic of grade inflation had been prominent before, it was not as much of an issue now.
Discrepancies in grading across the curriculum are a concern that has been addressed more than once at UW-Madison. According to Spear, courses in the math, science and engineering fields tend to have lower grades than those in humanities and social sciences.
UW-Madison chemistry Professor Bassam Shakhashiri said he has noticed this trend.
""The courses in the natural sciences are more demanding because of their quantitative nature,"" he said. ""There are not as many essays or written evaluations.""
Shakhashiri guesses the average grade in his class to be in the BC range.
Michelle Hilmes, director of undergraduate studies and a professor in the communication arts department, said the average grade in her department is a B. She said this higher average reflects that not everyone who wants to major in the department is admitted, resulting in ""better students.""
Students who transfer after their first year also reduce the pool of freshmen with higher grades. The least successful freshmen tend to leave, raising the average grade point of the remaining first-year students, Spear said.
Differences in grading trends at Harvard and UW-Madison may also be due to the system of honors distribution at each school. While Latin honors distinctions at Harvard'summa-, magna- or cum laude'are earned purely through GPA, students at UW-Madison must pursue an honors curriculum to receive distinction. Students can receive a separate distinction through GPA at UW-Madison, an honor granted to students in the top 20 percent of their class.
""We're less focused on specific GPA,"" said Cyrena Pondrom, faculty director of the honors program.
