Forced grade distributions

Wharton management prof Adam Grant argues in a recent NYT op-ed that colleges should not use forced distributions when handing out grades.  In a forced distributions, there are limits on the number of students who can receive a particular grade, e.g., only 25% can get A's, the next 35% can get B's.  This type of system is in place in core classes at many of the world's leading business schools.

Grant sees two serious defects: one related to fairness and the other related to collegiality.  The forced curve might say there can only be ten A's in a class, but what if 15 students have performed at A level?  What if only five students perform at A level, do the other five get an A anyway?  Experienced professors who have taught the same course year after year are in a very good position to make sure grades are equitable relative to standards, Grant argues.  As for collegiality, forced distributions turn classmates into adversaries in what Grant calls a "zero-sum game."

Forced distributions do prevent grade inflation.  Today over 40 percent of all grades are in the A range.  Grant in essence is arguing whether the cure is a larger danger than the disease.

Closing note:  there are no forced grade distributions in the NC State MBA program.