Posted by John Irons at October 04, 2002 12:12 AM

Princeton mathematician Jordan Ellenberg has an article about why grade inflation isn't so bad.

The analysis is a bit flawed in that it assumes that students can be ranked along a single dimension of "natural ability" ranging from "good" to "bad" across all classes over 4 years (with some random variation). But he does make some interesting points.

Aside: More mathematicians should write articles for a general audience.

Don't Worry About Grade Inflation - Why it doesn't matter that professors give out so many A's. By Jordan Ellenberg