Should a 10-Point Grading Scale Be The Standard?

[freeloader]

What good is a common grading scale when there is so much variability and subjectivity in the course content and in assignments?

I taught history at the college level. I tended to give mostly A's and B's as most students put in reasonable effort and tried to complete the assignments. Smattering of C's and D's for the students who didn't really try or just didn't do work at a reasonable level. I worked with a 10 point grading scale and the schools where I taught also gave + and - grades. Excellent paper got a 95+. Really good got 90-94. Good somewhere in the 80s. Not so good, below 80. If I hadn't had +/- or if I had used a 7 point grading scale, I simply would have adjusted my grading rubric and the grades I gave. A level work was A level work regardless of the grading scale. C level work was C level work: 75 on a 10 point scale = 80/81 on a 7 point scale.

And while history is more subjective, everybody has taken hard math/science tests where there often is a more objective answer. Question distribution, difficulty of questions, number of questions, ability to regurgitate vs. need to critically apply information all influence the difficulty of a test. If I want the average to by an 80 on a 10 point scale, I write the test a bit differently than if I want it to be an 85 on a 7 point scale. I could also be more generous with partial credit on the 7-point scale exam.

Unless and until you go to totally standardized syllabi and course descriptions and have common marking of exams (see: AP, CLEP exams, A-levels, etc), this is just unnecessary regulation by the government.