142 - Please Harvard! Don't get it wrong this time!! What's wrong with a cap on A's - a discussion with Dr. Stephanie Valentine

In this follow-up to their earlier conversation about Harvard and “too many A’s,” Sharona and Boz welcome back Dr. Stephanie Valentine to unpack Harvard’s proposed new grading policy, which would cap the number of A grades in each class and layer course-based ranking on top of an already troubled system. Drawing on Stephanie’s powerful “Points Are Insidious” manifesto and her experience teaching high-achieving, perfectionistic students, the episode explores how policies built to force distinction can intensify anxiety, undermine risk-taking, discourage collaboration, and ultimately work against the very innovation and intellectual curiosity elite institutions claim to value. Together, the three of them critique the mathematical and ethical flaws of ranking students against one another, examine the gap between top-down policy and classroom reality, and wrestle with what it would mean for faculty to live with integrity under a policy like this—while also reaffirming that the real alternative is not inflated or meaningless grades, but grading systems genuinely grounded in learning, growth, and student wellbeing.LinksPlease note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates links. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks for your support!Grade-inflation panel says updated plan focuses on reining in A’s, restoring integrity of system, freeing students to follow curiosityThe “Points Are Insidious” Manifesto, Part 3: Perfectionism Is Not Excellence, by Dr. Stephanie ValentineGrade Caps Fail the Game Theory Exam, from The Crimson Tide (Harvard Newspapr)The “Points are Insidious” Manifesto (Part I), by Dr. Stephanie ValentineThe “Points Are Insidious” Manifesto, Part II: Assessing at the Boiling Point, by Dr. Stephanie ValentineYes, Grade Inflation is Real. But Is It a Real Problem?, from NEA TodayAdvice To Our Students, from the University of Texas - AustinEpisode 127 - An LMS Designed from the Ground Up for Alt Grading? Tell Me More! With Stephanie ValentineEpisode 138 - Too Many A’s Or Too Much Confusion?Shameless Outside Plug for Sharona's Theater Production CompanyChalomot ProductionsResourcesThe Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building.The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12.Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading:The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia BlogRecommen