In America, a congressional committee for computer security has given failing grades to many of the federal bodies it scrutinises.
Bulgaria and Romania were given failing marks by the European Union, which said they had yet to develop functioning market economies.
The Georgia Tech inquiry is expected to take months; students found to have cheated could be expelled or given failing grades.
The university was also given failing grades in "sexual assault services" and testing for H.I.V. and sexually transmitted diseases, but Ms. Jenkins said it does offer these services.
Eight states have been given failing scores for their pension management under a new grading system developed by the Pew Center on the States, which also found a $1 trillion gap between what all 50 states have promised their workers and what they have set aside.
Some weeks ago, it dawned on the Treasury that if a couple of large banks, say Citigroup and Bank of America, were given failing grades, there would be hell to pay.
The government's recent stimulus measures give failing firms taxpayers' money.
It surprised us that the university gave failing students this sort of second chance.
The group gave failing grades to 22 states "for having grossly inadequate criminal, domestic violence and mental disability records".
In 1998 and 1999, safety inspectors from the State Department of Transportation gave failing grades to 42percentt of the company's buses, often for faulty brakes.
Children and the elderly will be most affected, according to the report, which gave failing air quality grades to the three Hudson Valley counties.
