I’ve been asked to help welcome students back to campus by discussing the issue of grade inflation (or, as some are saying, “grade deflation”). While I doubt that this topic occupied many students’ thoughts during the holiday break, and it does not make for the cheeriest of greetings, I know it has been a matter of some continuing concern. Before delving into it, however, I do want to say that I hope all students had pleasant holidays and that they will find the semester ahead both challenging and rewarding. It is good to have you back.

The concern about grade inflation grew out of a review of grades done in preparation for our last university-wide review for renewal of its general accreditation. (This matter has also been studied extensively by the faculty Committee on Academic Practices, the report of which is posted on the Provost’s website.) That review, part of the university’s “self-study,” revealed two phenomena. One was a significant inflation of grades during the decade of the 1990s. The other was an increasing disparity in grading patterns among the schools and colleges. In particular, the School of Management and the College of General Studies have maintained grading standards and patterns which have not changed much over time, and which achieve a reasonably balanced spread of grades corresponding to the intended meaning of the letter grades.

In contrast, grades in the other schools and colleges had risen quite dramatically, to the point where the average grade had increased well above the B level. While relatively higher grades are to be expected in the more advanced courses, there were many instances of instructors in large, introductory courses awarding disproportionately large numbers of As and Bs. In some cases more than 90 percent of students in such courses received As and Bs.

Faculty bring different perspectives and philosophies to the evaluation of students and to the assigning of grades, and we do not mean to imply that there is any one correct view on the matter. Several observations and general principles have guided the discussions, however.

First, the schools and colleges with the more rigorous grading practices were also the ones in which faculty regularly discussed grading philosophies and expectations. Especially in courses with multiple sections, there were well-developed expectations for student performance and the resulting distribution of grades. By comparison, there had been much less discussion of grading philosophies and practices in the schools and colleges where grades had risen the most. We concluded that it was important for faculty in every school and college to discuss grading standards and expectations regularly. Such discussions have been actively encouraged.

Second, deans and faculty members did not have good information about the grading patterns in their courses. To remedy this we began providing data to each of the deans, showing both the actual grades awarded and graphical summaries of overall grading patterns by department and by level of course. When supplied with better information on grading practices across their units, they can see where the disparities arise and discuss what might be done about them.

Third, we have reviewed and discussed among the deans and various faculty groups the reasons for which we ought to be concerned about grade inflation. There are two primary reasons. The first is parity in grading standards across the campus. Students at similar levels of achievement ought to be receiving similar grades, roughly speaking. More importantly, we ought to be providing the opportunity for students who achieve at the highest levels to have that achievement recognized by distinctly high grades. The effect of grade inflation is to move all students up the grading scale, so that As and Bs become commonplace. This discourages strong performance, just as unchallenging courses are discouraging to good students.

Some students have expressed concern that the inability to achieve high grades will limit their access to graduate and professional schools, internships and career opportunities. This is largely a matter of individual determination – those who commit themselves to high achievement will nearly always see that achievement reflected in their grades (just as they will come to realize the great extent to which such achievement is its own reward). More importantly, as the university becomes better known as an institution of high and demanding academic standards, grades earned here will carry greater credibility.

Just as the quality of BU students has risen dramatically in recent years, so should the quality of our courses and our teaching, and our expectations for students. This is part of the continuing development of Boston University as a leading, student-centered research university of which its graduates can be, justly, very proud.

Dennis Berkey is provost of Boston

University.