Grading Curves: The Elevator Curve
The Elevator Curve: a way to curve grades, graphed as new grade vs. old grade.
Use this cartoon
Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2025-10-22-curves-to-curve-by--grading-curves-the-elevator-curve/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
THE ELEVATOR CURVE: just add 10%. Pros: clear, simple, understandable. Cons: pushes some grades above 100%, creating hubristic students who think themselves gods.