Grading Curves: The Harvard Curve
The Harvard 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-harvard-curve/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
THE HARVARD CURVE: new grade = 100%. Pros: low effort, low conflict, makes students happy. Cons: may or may not bring about the collapse of elite higher education.