tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159906646513306121.post459559373693043659..comments2023-11-19T20:38:50.237-08:00Comments on Economic Logic: Make good grades costly to teachersEconomic Logicianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171296292101248614noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159906646513306121.post-22255281249257579252010-07-19T08:42:10.304-07:002010-07-19T08:42:10.304-07:00I do not see how you conclude grading is about sig...I do not see how you conclude grading is about signaling status. I *should* signal competence, but if teachers are too nice, it signals *nothing* (this is what a pooling equilibrium is).<br /><br />Grading should establish a ranking of competences, and rankings are inherently zero-sum. Grading itself is certainly not about social status, as it happens within a group. Which school you are at may be, though.Economic Logicianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171296292101248614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159906646513306121.post-42780576603995581512010-07-18T18:10:24.188-07:002010-07-18T18:10:24.188-07:00By your reasoning:
1. Grading is about status sig...By your reasoning:<br /><br />1. Grading is about status signaling, and should not be mistaken for a measure of proficiency. <br />2. What employers want is the top-status students, not the qualified ones. <br />3. The point of school is to allocate a pecking order, and separate the nobles from the plebs.<br />4. Life is a high-school popularity contest.<br /><br />Why does grading have to be a zero-sum game? Why shouldn't grades go up in time, as knowledge and therefore potential proficiency increase in most fields?<br /><br />I encourage you to check out this post on zero-sum bias:<br /><br />http://lesswrong.com/lw/2gd/fight_zerosum_bias/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159906646513306121.post-2897820740615111722010-07-07T11:28:59.014-07:002010-07-07T11:28:59.014-07:00It may no longer be the true, but for a long time,...It may no longer be the true, but for a long time, Cornell had a reputation for resisting grade inflation more than other schools.<br /><br />BTW, E.L., I had long figured your anonymity was due to working for a government agency or Fed where you were not allowed to blog. But that would not appear to be the case.rosserjb@jmu.eduhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300046915843554101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159906646513306121.post-59783822495395889522010-07-06T22:48:16.057-07:002010-07-06T22:48:16.057-07:00This might work for a few top places, i.e. everyon...This might work for a few top places, i.e. everyone knowing that a C at Harvard U. is worth something, but it's not really a good idea for smaller/less known places. How do I compare a 3.0 GPA from XXY U. with a 3.2 GPA from YYX U.?<br /><br />I can't help but think that standardized testing is the (imperfect) way to go here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159906646513306121.post-32593756272966653262010-07-06T07:36:13.694-07:002010-07-06T07:36:13.694-07:00At my institution, the teacher has to write a lett...At my institution, the teacher has to write a letter to give a failing grade. We do exactly the opposite of what his paper recommends!Kansannoreply@blogger.com