Grades don't always follow a bell-curve distribution. If you have a large group of intelligent, highly motivated students (which, presumably, anyway, is what Princeton students should be) and an objective exam, why is there no legitimate reason why the entire class couldn't legitimately earn all A's?
"...and an objective exam..."
A lot of college work is papers, not exams, so there is always some subjectivity to the scoring. I think just pre-determining that only 35% can get As is silly, though. Just another quota system, not a good, or fair, idea.
What would you give the average student in this class?
All exams should be graded on whether the questions were answered properly period. Not on the fact that most of those who took the exam did well so all should receive the same grade.
I have to ask, are you really serious with this thought or are you just being tongue in cheek?
Yeah.....but it's kind of like havinge your doctor order lab tests.....and then he comes back and tells you they were "normal." Well, I'd rather have "optimal" scores on my cholesterol and other tests.....just like I'd rather have a doc who was "OPTIMAL" (at the higher end of good) in Med School!
I had one class like that in grad school. About two thirds of the way through people presenting their final papers (most of the class's grade was for a project, with some of the grade coming from the midterm) the professor said "You are all doing good job. I think you will all get As". I don't know if everyone actually did get As. It was a very tough class. I put a lot more work into it that the typical class with a couple of exams for the grade.
Yes, absolutely, it IS possible to have students compete against the subject knowledge, rather than each other.
That's how I run MY college classes. They are competing against a fixed amount of MATERIAL -- not each other.
If all students can remember and master the basic formulas, and the definitions of terms, and the general essay responses I require they master - etc., -- they'll get an "A."
It is a very structured principles course, and -- they DO learn the basics, and are able to perform and express intelligent opinions, in the upper division courses, BECAUSE I have drilled them on the 'basics' -- the "terms & tools," as I call it -- of our field (economics).
I get a "bimodal" grade curve -- 1/3 get A's, and 1/3 get F's.
I am very strict about cheating too -- and make them put their cell camera phones AWAY, and etc., too.
Pam in Los Angeles
It depends on what you think the purpose of the grading should be (and hence, the purpose of the "A").
Presumably, even at Princeton, there is a rank order of effort and ability, from low to high. If the purpose of the grades is to rank the students from highest to lowest (within the universe that is Princeton), then giving them all "A"s defeats that purpose.
These exams at Princeton are not qualifying exams, like medical boards or a bar exam. It should be possible, if the examiners know the material, to rank every student, by letter grade, from #1 to n.