You switched premises there from ranking students (knowledge of a subject) to ranking teachers (job performance).
Other than collecting data, how would you suggest schools determine which reforms are successful and which aren't? Yes, if that data is part of performance evaluations of individuals, then it could be gamed. That seems to assume that the majority of educators are unethical, and that there aren't people employed to identify and minimize those risks.
I thought the article you linked raised solid points. In assessing the question of grade inflation, it is important to assess if the courses being taught are harder, if the kids are more capable, better prepared, etc.
I think the obsession with "equal outcomes" is misplaced as applied to the classroom. For the most part, teachers should be striving towards equal outcomes. In that they want all of their students to equally master the class curriculum.
The point of school, at the lowest levels, is not to weed out the weak from the strong but to educate the group. To decry "equal outcomes" in an individual classroom would be akin to arguing that we should be striving to fail kids simply so that we can say "See, not all kids are equally strong in this". The difference in ability should present itself in parallel assessing tools - state exams, standardized tests, etc. The classroom's goal should be equal outcomes.
Of course, it can be taken too far - which is where legitimate concerns about grade inflation come from. Are more kids getting As because the teaching has improved or because the course covers less rigorous material than before. But again, that's where larger assessment tools figure in and the question of the course goal.
In high school algebra, the teacher wants everyone to get an A. However, in Intro to Criminal Procedure, the law professor is going to make sure that only a set number of students do. I think people sometimes forget that school is for education and not a competition.
And, yes, I realize that the thread is titled college grade inflation but I think the misplaced concerns go beyond the college classroom.
