Harvard Proposes Cap on A’s, 13 Affiliates React

Last October, a now-infamous report sparked intense debate over Harvard’s grading system. A new faculty report proposing a cap on A grades has reignited that discussion. Are grades for mastery or distinction, and will the proposal restore rigor or damage pedagogy? 13 affiliates weigh in. — Heidi S. Enger ’27 and Zakiriya H. Gladney ’27, Editorial Chairs

Recenter Rigor, Not the Curve

By The Crimson Editorial Board  • 

Dissent: Grade Inflation Won’t Fix Itself

By Amelia F. Barnum, Benjamin Isaac, and Catherine E.F. Previn  • 

Realistic Grades Offer a Critical Feedback Loop

By Brendan A. Kelly  • 

The Unpleasant Ethics of Capping Grades

By Clifford H. Taubes  • 

Learning Is Not a Zero-Sum Game

By Rohan Nambiar  • 

The Coddling of the Harvard Mind

By Amelia F. Barnum and Benjamin Isaac  • 

Grades Should Measure Mastery, Not Distinction

By Adam N. Chiocco and Allison P. Farrell  • 

Fulfilling Our Responsibilities as Instructors

By Karen L. Thornber  • 

A Grade Cap Will Be Hard, but It Will Be Worth It

By Sofia Mikulasek  • 

Distinction Shouldn’t Require a Comp

By Andrew W. Shlomchik  • 

What We Can Learn From the Grading Ordeal

By Oliver E. Nathan  •