The A-List

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I’m not sure how the State of Illinois grades its job applicants these days since it’s been a while since I actually took a state test and things might have changed. But I think they still give solid letter grades (A, B, C etc.). While reading this Mark Kleiman column on grade inflation in schools, this passage made me think about what I have always thought was wrong with the State’s grading system:

But there is one big problem with grade inflation: compression at the top. It's harder to tell the really unusually terrific student from the run-of-the-mill excellent student if both get A's.

I always figured the vague grading system for hiring at the State was that way intentionally so that, as long as a politically favored applicant got an A, the way was cleared for that person’s hiring even if they weren’t the best and the brightest. I’m also not convinced the tests aren’t “dumbed down” a bit to ensure a large crop of As. But that theory is based solely on my experience (some of it going back more than 20 years) with State tests.

Theoretically, getting an A would mean you are well-qualified. The question is, though, are you the best qualified among all the applicants? Giving everyone an A who scored over a certain level does little to sort that out. On the other hand, there is often more to being qualified for a job than being able to score well on a test and perhaps those other factors can be gleaned from in-person interviews.

Still, I would think higher scores should be worth something. Perhaps a numeric grading system is in order?