Ms. Wissner-Gross misstates what’s going on in the nation’s college classrooms. Far from deflating grades, faculty like me are confronting many students (and parents) for whom “A” might as well stand for merely “adequate.” Those of us pegged as tough graders are not artificially lowering grades that students deserve. We are bucking the “trophies for all” mentality, and instead challenging capable students to do truly outstanding work—awarding A’s to those who embrace the challenge.
ANDREW J. PERRIN
Chapel Hill, N.C.
The writer is a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
