What should be the standard for an "A" grade?

As I've been preparing for a new year, I returned to the end-of-semester evaluations my Computer Applications students completed. I've been analyzing the responses about which learning was easiest, hardest, and most valuable. I've also been looking more closely at their answers to this question:

What grade would you give yourself in this class? Why?

Out of 40 informative responses (ones that went beyond a one-word answer), only 2 students felt they earned a "A" grade based on their final product, or the amount they learned. The rest unanimously felt that an "A" should reflect effort.

I worry that my grading is too harsh. Then I worry that it's too easy. I look at my students' responses and feel that perhaps I am being too hard on them. They seem to be pleading, "I did my best! I did my best! Don't give me a bad grade!" Then I look at their grades and feel that I've been giving A's away like candy.

I could also interpret the responses & grades as meaning that the students are working hard for their high grades. Students' grades are entirely made up of projects and products. Those projects and products are graded based on a set of requirements (a rubric). There is no grade for effort, except that it takes effort to meet the requirements.

I think there is an paradox in students' response to this. Students wish to be graded subjectively, on a perception of effort and hard work, if the end result is an A. And yet subjective grading is unfair. Students also wish to be graded and treated fairly by their teacher. Do students still value fairness when the end result is not an A?

I think there is a paradox for the teacher in this as well. Teachers wish students to feel and be successful. Success is motivating for students. A student may give his or her best effort, and yet not meet the A standard. In many students' minds, this is not success. The student then may lose motivation, and reserve future efforts. Do teachers still value students' best effort when the end result is not an A?

So what should the standard for an "A" grade in my class be? And how can students come to view that standard as fair and achievable?

Final grades for the 40 students represented below were:

27 A's
3 A-'s
1 B
2 B-'s
1 B+
1 C+












The final letter grades for all my Computer Applications students:

A 53
A- 7
B+ 5
B 11
B- 3
C+ 2
C 9
C- 2
D 7
F 2










Here are the 40 responses. I did not edit the responses for spelling and grammar, as you will see.

1. just for the effort even though they didnt turn out right every time haha!
2. I worked hard and did my best.
3. I turn in all my work and do a pretty decent job.
4. i tried hard to get my asignments in on time and make sure it was my best work.
5. i dont think i havent not turned anything in
6. i am being a good boy!!
7. i have tried really hard
8. I gave my best effort and completed the assignments to my best ability
9. i worked hard even though i thought the grading was a little harsh.
10. I turned everything in ontime and havent got in trouble once.
11. i tryed my best even thoe you say its not
12. i tried my hardest and really worked at them
13. i like to pay atantion in class
14. i know i could do better but i still did most of what i could do.
15. I try my hardest and try to turn everything.
16. i do all my work, but sometimes i talk with friends....
17. i think i did pretty well on everything except part of the photo story
18. I tried my hardest at everything and I dont think that I fooled around at all.
19. I tryed my hardest i tryed to get all my stuff in
20. I listened to directions
21. i always tried my hardest
22. i was quiet and payed attention
23. I turned everything in and tried my best.
24. I am always to class on time
25. I always try to do my best on my assignments.
26. i have done my best and i think that is pretty good and well i have been absent that is all
27. I worked hard and turned in my assignments
28. i try hard
29. i try my best to get a good grade
30. i turn almost everything in.
31. I have helped people
32. I have done all my assiments.
33. I tried my best to turn everything in and worked my hardest on the projects.
34. I turned in all my assignments in on time
35. I completed all of the requirements.
36. I have worked hard and done the best I can do.
37. i worked really hard on things but i probably missed some of the requirements that were supposed to be in the project
38. ive done my best and tried my hardest to turn in everything
39. i do every assignment, but dont comprehend all instructions 100%, and for a long time, turning in assignments was confusing so i would make a bazzilion copies in a million places
40. I know how to do almost everything that we have learned except for the memorization of the internal parts.