In an academic system where a degree, and not actual learning, is the main goal, grades take on a disproportionate importance. It may seem that a small decimal digit separates the very best from those who are not in the top league. Employers may use an arbitrary cutoff of the final grade point average to determine who is worthy of their company; graduate schools may do something quite similar with a more humane name. As the competition in the world grows, more and more students worry about grades in an unhealthy way. Many of my students suffer from this affliction too - worrying about a point on a homework or an exam. As much as I tell them about the real purpose of a college or a university, my sermons are unlikely to make a dent in their worldview shaped by outside forces that reduce entire education to a number on a four-point scale.

The issue of fair grades, or grade inflation, is one that is being discussed at institutions around the world - including in........

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