Grade inflation has changed the meaning of “good grades” in college over the years. Faculty have gradually allowed a trend to occur where a majority of students are being awarded high marks for work that is less in quality than in the past. The prestige of earning a degree is diminishing. Future employers are not sure of the skills of the people they are hiring out of college. Students are choosing less rigorous degrees to take the easy way out. Grade inflation has caused a decline in education, which has caused students to question the value of a grade, a degree, and personal integrity. Grade inflation can be defined in many ways. It can be thought of as grade schemes that change to where the high end achieving group in a class, school, or university get higher evaluations, basically As and Bs, for the same amount and nature of work done by students in previous years. Because of this, the same GPA is acquired by students with poorer academic skill according to their SAT or ACT exams. Colleges and schools collapse the real, genuine estimation of an A, so it turns into an average evaluation among college undergrads (Tucker 1). Another less thought of version of grade inflation is called content deflation, where students receive the same grades as students in the past but with less work required and less learning (Schiming). Thirty years back, an A+ was a grade granted in grade schools. It normally was not a grade given at the secondary school level, and was definitely
To counter the constant negativity, he also exemplifies solutions for fixing grade inflation. For example, Brent Staples references Valen Johnson’s proposal for a grade point average reform that accounts the selected major into the grade point average system (389). With this example, the reform will significantly decrease the median grade point average and reward those who achieve high grades in courses related to their respective major. Behind this positive message, Brent Staples still criticizes college administrators for prioritizing their public image over a legitimate grading system without the complaining tone in the majority of his essay. Furthermore, Brent Staple’s examples do solve an actual issue and not a phantom problem. In 1975 alone, there was over tens times more bachelors in psychology than there were available jobs for them (Bird 424). Because the current grading system allows for counterfeit grade point averages, there are an excessive number of psychology bachelors. Brent Staples provided solutions because this issue proves his criticisms in
The biggest issue with Sherry’s plan to stop grade inflation is that she didn’t account for the fact that there is no universal grading system in the world. Grades are based on a criterion set by a particular teacher, and the teacher is the final person to decide what grade the student receives. An A
In the article A’s for Everyone, Alicia Shepard recognized a pattern in which her students placed too much emphasis on the letter grades received as opposed to the actual understanding and retention of the curriculum being taught. To understand this phenomenon, Shepard drew upon both the historical catalyst which led to it and her personal experience as a college professor. The systematic indoctrination of the importance of letter grades originated during the Vietnam War when "Men who got low grades could be drafted," (p. 3, par. 4). This having occurred, the pressure to obtain a higher grade became less about gaining knowledge and more about regurgitating information to receive an A. Subsequently, future generations stressed to their offspring
In “Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s”, Staples argues that teacher inflate grades so that their course will not be canceled. Furthermore, teachers will inflate grades so that they can keep their jobs. Additionally, students are trying to find ways to get
Alfie Kohn’s lengthy essay “The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation,” published on The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2002, is a response in a continued discourse regarding grade inflation. The author of 13 books, Kohn has become a controversial figure in the higher-education field by challenging many of the widely accepted educational theories (“A. Kohn”). In this essay, Kohn questions whether or not the problem of grade inflation—“an upward shift in students’ grade-point averages without a similar rise in achievement” (1)—actually exists. This essay is geared towards those in the higher-education field—professors, university administrators, and higher education policy-makers—who, although familiar with the topic, have not yet established a stance on the discourse regarding grade inflation. The writer is presenting himself as their peer, and his purpose will be to convince them on the absurdity of grades being inflated because “of an absence of legitimate data” (2). He will persuade them by systematically acknowledging each of the grade-inflation-exists arguments and then using logic to discredit them, citing credible sources, and tapping into the audience’s emotions and identity as educators by illustrating how the obsession with the “myth” of grade inflation has crowded out any real intellectual engagement. Therefore, with this essay, Kohn successfully convinces his audience that accusations of
Schools and college professors, who give you a good grade for excellent productivity on assignments, allow students to perform poorly, but still benefit relative to a person with an A. Two articles that observe grade inflation, find the rising problems of grade inflation, and finding solutions for grade inflation. Stuart Rojstaczer, an author from Grade Inflation Gone Wild, is a professor of geophysics at Duke university, and created gradeinflation.com in regards for his concern about grade inflation. On the other hand, Phil Primack is a journalist and teacher at Tufts University, and published in the “Boston Globe” Doesn’t Anybody Get a C Anymore? While college students, who work with little effort and still attain easy A’s by working poorly on assignments and exams, Primack and Rojstaczer, develop a firm connection towards grade inflation and the solution that can regain control over real education.
In “Grades and Money,” Steven Vogel explains some of his main concerns with the education system today, particularly focusing on how the view of grades has changed. Vogel tells us that when he was in college, no one talked about their grades, or even took them as seriously as many students do today. He states that everyone was more concerned about the actual learning of the class, rather than the grade they received. Nowadays, Vogel believes that students are obsessed over their grades, because better grades means a higher GPA, which ultimately leads to more money. He is concerned because students do not take risks, such as taking a harder but beneficial class, but instead take an easier class to maintain a higher GPA. I can definitely relate to the students that vogel is talking about, because, as a senior, I can see how important my GPA is when saving the optimum amount of money for college. After contemplating Vogel’s essay, I can relate to and have experienced three main problems that he describes, which include: most students nowadays care more about their grades than the learning itself, the majority of students and teachers relate grades to money, and, as a result, education is not serving the purpose it should be.
Grade inflation is the tendency of educators to improve a student’s grades. Although the practice is frown upon, grade inflation is a reality faced in educational institutions. In his essay “Grade Inflation - Why Princeton Threw in the Towel,” published in October 15, 2014, on MindingTheCampus.org, Russel Nieli documents the origins and consequences of grade inflation. Nieli (2014) claims that grade inflation rose across the globe after the 1960s. While he cites explanations for the phenomenon, such as the Vietnam draft and racial admission policies, Nieli (2014) argues the real factors for grade inflation include the following: student involvement in course grading, “weakening” education authorities, overemphasis on grades in employment, and the self-esteem movement. Lastly, Nieli (2014) chronicles the efforts of Princeton University, which opposed grade inflation through grading policies, but their efforts failed, as growing opposition forced the abolishment of those policies. I argue that Nieli overlooks how educators inflate a student’s grades, and I will critique Nieli’s stance on employment and grade inflation.
It's June, and another graduating class is hoping, among other things, to achieve high grades. Of course, "high" is a subjective target. Originally a "C" meant average; today however, the expectations and pressures to give and receive "A's" and "B's" takes its toll on teachers and students alike. This nullifies the value of the traditional grading scale and creates a host of entirely new problems. The widespread occurrence of grade inflation seriously affects the credibility of secondary and post-secondary education in America.
The bar chart illustrates that most (approximately 60%) of the science students thought that the factors that affect the grade inflation was to ensure that the students do not get low grades in exam. Other than that, minority (roughly 20%) of the science stream students thought that the grade inflation was to improves the reputation of an institution or a school.
For this reason, grade fixing/inflation is not helpful to students. It may increase a student’s GPA, i.e. grade point average at the time, but in the long run, it will only become a proverbial noose around that same student’s neck while attempting to become successful at their future jobs. In fact, employers criticize recent college graduates for the mindset they have that perpetuates the entitlement mindset. It is this mentality, if not checked at the door, which jeopardizes all future endeavors for the said student. Regardless, whether it be furthering their education, or finding a job.
On June 22, Vikram Mansharamani, a lecturer at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied sciences, wrote an article named “How an epidemic of grade inflation made A’s average.” In the article, Vikram first explained what is grade inflation. Second, he provided some possible explanation about what inflation occur along with some school’s attempted solution. Last, the author starts to consider what is the impact of grade inflation and how the inflation effect.
Grade inflation- the belief that students are receiving grades that they haven’t worked for and therefore don’t deserve. But what’s so wrong about grade inflation? When learning about this topic we open the doors to a multitude of other problems plaguing our educational system. When looking at grade inflation, we’re able to understand these often forgotten about and looked over problems, which enables us to start taking steps forward towards a brighter educational future.
Students in schools that experience grade inflation suffer from many severe consequences because of the policy that is followed by their schools. After graduation, students with inflated grades will be placed in competitive and relatively difficult
Grade inflation and the state of student’s GPA average are being raising questions about American colleges and universities standards. Grades, given to students, have always been and will always part of the education system. Even though grades shouldn’t be the motive that student have. Grades do have an important purpose and it is to measure how well a student has proven his/her comprehension of course material. Grades are not the only thing that tells the whole story. Larger lecture courses with “a letter grade often fails to account for the intangibles” (The Chronical Jan,2015) such as a student’s progress with intelligence. Grades are not a positive measurement between what student can produce and the good that is. Yet students are potentiality venerable by grade inflation. As extremely high grades are progressively expected, GPAs will eventually become an ungraspable number placed on a