<p>What is the craziest curve you’ve ever seen in a class? Also, do you think curving is a good idea?</p>
<p>Some highly selective schools have very generous curves.
<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/</a> (list at the bottom)
<a href=“Brown University”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Brown.html</a>
<a href=“Stanford”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Stanford.html</a>
<a href=“Swarthmore College”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Swarthmore.html</a>
<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/yale.html”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/yale.html</a>
<a href=“Pomona College”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Pomona.html</a>
<a href=“Amherst College”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Amherst.html</a>
<a href=“Vassar College”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Vassar.html</a>
<a href=“Harvard”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Harvard.html</a>
<a href=“Duke University”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Duke.html</a>
<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/penn.html”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/penn.html</a>
<a href=“Columbia University”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Columbia.html</a>
<a href=“Dartmouth College”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Dartmouth.html</a>
<a href=“Georgetown University”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Georgetown.html</a>
<a href=“Haverford College”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Haverford.html</a>
<a href=“Bucknell”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Bucknell.html</a>
<a href=“Northwestern”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Northwestern.html</a>
<a href=“Washington University”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/Washingtonu.html</a></p>
<p>mhm, i think so. when you have a wide range of ability in a classroom (and the most selective schools tend to have the highest ranges as well as the highest averages) than curving makes good sense. average schools, like mine, are only concenred with teaching the kids the bare basics well enough so they can demonstrate a basic understanding of them (some teachers employ harder extra credit questions, but that’s rare). as a student seldom displays any mastery there is no need for curving, and way more effort that needs to be directed to getting them to learn the fundamentals. when the students are having a hard enough time learning those there’s no need for curving. extra credit questions can be okay, but at the more selective schools you’d never want to call those questions “extra” since those students are expected to learn more than just the fundamentals.</p>