What if grades tell us less about what students learned than we think they do? This is the dilemma confronting higher education officials as two institutions revealed grading policy changes for 2027.
In May, Harvard faculty voted to limit the number of A’s awarded each term in an effort to curb grade inflation (Gibson, 2026). University of Michigan officials have dropped letter grades for incoming freshmen in favor of a pass/fail system.
Critics for both policies can be found in the comments section of online articles and social media posts alike. But this debate misses the crux of the issue. We need to return to a basic educational tenet: what’s best for students?
Grades can often be a collection of points accumulated (e.g., compliance in homework completion, passiveness during groupwork) rather than an accurate measure of a student’s mastery of skills.
There are better means than a numerical score to determine growth. However, can non-traditional methods truly motivate students to excel?
3 other ways to measure to growth
Bellwether composition courses establish if participants can effectively manage the volume and pace of academic writing. Students know what’s at stake, and the fear is evident in their faces as they walk through the door of my classroom each term.
To ease students’ concerns, I share my goal for each of them: be a stronger reader, writer, and critical thinker than they are today. For each of them, that’s a different journey. They are starting in different places, will travel at different rates, and will conclude their learning at a different spot.
As I share these plans, I see faces relax and shoulders drop. I urge them not to worry about the letter grade; if they put in the work, they will be successful.
Students become motivated when they understand what success looks like, receive feedback that helps improve their work, and see evidence of their own progress. They read and discuss, write multiple drafts for several papers, and give and take feedback from their peers.
The power of the class lies in that feedback—not the accompanying numerical score. Here is where I can guide them along their writing journey.
While letter grades provide for the appearance of objectivity, they don’t promote flexibility in the learning process. There are several ways higher education can measure growth beyond strict grading systems:
- Portfolio systems allow students to collect their work throughout the term. Learners document progress, reflect on the process, and develop greater metacognitive awareness. The focus can be, “What improvement has been made since the term began?”
- Institutions can let students choose a letter grade or a satisfactory/unsatisfactory marking. Brown University and M.I.T. have incorporated this practice for freshmen (Arsenault, 2026). It encourages individuals to explore courses and experiences without the fear that it will negatively impact their academic standing. With this option, students can ask, “What interests me?”
- Colleges cau use a K-12 model, standards-based instruction, to note if students are exceeding, meeting or merely approaching the learning outcomes for the course. This method focuses on what students know and can demonstrate.
Here, the question becomes, “Can I prove I know the learning outcomes expected for the course, or am I still learning them?”
What’s really A-worthy?
Harvard is focusing on the value of the grade—specifically the A, itself—perhaps hoping other elite schools will join. I’m not sure this makes the A more valuable, but it will increase the pressure and anxiety with which many students already struggle.
As for the University of Michigan, I don’t know if they intended to lead a charge or were simply looking to change the educational landscape for their incoming freshmen. Either way, they are challenging the role of the letter grade (for first semester freshmen at least).
Perhaps the question isn’t whether higher education should have grades, but rather the meaning of them in the first place. Shouldn’t we be focused on what students are learning?
If students leave our classrooms knowing more and believing they can do more than when they entered, that is A-worthy.
References
- Gibson, L. (2026, May 20). Harvard faculty approve a cap on A grades. Harvard
Magazine. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/university-news/harvard-faculty-approve-a-cap-on-a-grades
The image above was created with AI.
