Grade Inflation And The Myth Of Student Consumerism

Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2014

Educational Researcher, 2013

2012

Grades are the fundamental currency of our educational system; they incentivize student performance and academic behavior, and signal quality of student academic achievement to parents, employers, postsecondary gatekeepers, and students themselves. Grade inflation compromises the value of grades and undermines their capacity to achieve the functions for which they are intended. I challenge the 'increases in grade point average' definition of grade inflation employed by critics and argue that grade inflation must be understood in terms of the signaling power of grades. Analyzing data from four nationally representative samples of high school students, I find that in the decades following 1972: (a) grades have risen at high schools and dropped at four-year colleges, in general, and selective four-year institutions, in particular; and (b) the signaling power of grades has attenuated little, if at all. I conclude that the concerns of critics who warn of rampant grade inflation are misplaced. Grades at secondary and postsecondary institutions are just as meaningful now as they were four decades ago.

2001 Annual Conference Proceedings

Admission decisions to Graduate Programs at US universities take into consideration the student undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) as one major component in measuring the student potential for future success in his/her field of study. The number of students graduating from US universities with 3.9-4.0 cumulative GPA is growing steadily. Overseas schools may have educational philosophies, values, and assumptions attached to grades different than most American schools. Grades communicate the level of student's achievement in comparison to other students in the program, and the mastered skills in a given subject. There is so much emphasis in discriminating distinguished excellent students in grades that are recorded numerically rather than via letter grades. At the American University of Beirut (AUB), few students in the class get a cumulative GPA above 85 in a scale of 100. Typically, the class GPA is about 76 in a scale of 100. When these grades are translated into letter grades; virtually half the class is a C+ level or 2.5 GPA in a 4.0 system. The chances of any student being admitted to graduate programs in leading US universities are reduced. Students are placing pressure on faculty members to raise class averages. The objective of this paper is to bring to light the problems faced by international students due to grade inflation in US Universities.

Online Submission, 2005

ED491043 - An Exploratory Examination of Grade Inflation at The University of Georgia.

The authors review current and past practices of the grade inflation controversy and present ways to return to each institution’s established grading guidelines. Students are graded based on knowledge gathered. Certain faculty members use thorough evaluative methods, such as written and oral presentations, plus examinations. Others may require only midterm and final examinations; these latter are usually insufficient to measure learning/mastery of course objectives. Supporting this study are profiles from select universities: some have undertaken the grade inflation controversy academically; others have been profiled in the news. The model is provided to ensure that degree candidates are academic experts in their field, having earned the credential through rigorous study.

International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development

The aim of the study is to identify a moderation method to effectively control and eliminate grade inflation. This retrospective study was undertaken to investigate the end semester outcomes of three consensus moderation processes namely, Group, Peer and Panel moderations implemented over three consecutive semesters. In Group moderation, group of faculty members of the college irrespective of their specialty were involved in moderating the question papers; whereas in Peer to peer moderation the choice of moderator, a subject expert, was by individual faculty members. A three member Panel constituted by the college implemented Panel moderation. Care was taken to ensure security of assessment instruments. A total of 64 courses' results were considered for the purpose of analysis; (19 courses from Spring 2014-15 semester; 20 courses from Fall 2015-16 semester and 25 courses from Spring 2015 16 semester). Mann-Whitney U test was utilized to compare between two groups. The result of Group moderation vs Panel moderation is significant at p = 0.02382. Similarly, the result of Peer to peer moderation vs Panel moderation showed the result is significant at p = 0.56192. Thus, it was shown that Group Moderation results were significantly inflated compared to the other two (p = 0.02382). Panel moderation process appears to give a better distribution of grades compared to the peer moderation processes. However, the Panel moderation has not yielded a satisfactory distribution of grades. Additional measures are required to bring in desired outcome of end semester examination results.

Grade Inflation occurs when there is an upward trend over a period of time in grades awarded to successive cohorts of students taking a given examination or set of examinations in the absence of a matching improvement in learning or achievement. This paper explores the consequences of this phenomenon that afflicts modern education.

This study uses a rich longitudinal data-set of 13,202 full-time students belonging to 11 cohorts over 22 consecutive semesters (Fall 1995 to Spring 2006) to model the determinants of the grade inflation rates prevailing at the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón. The following new interesting findings are reported: (1) Estimated rates vary significantly among and within the academic programs, implying grade divergence, depending on the time reference used: cohort time dummies or semesters since admission to the institution. (2) The rates are significantly related to the proportions of female students, students who switch from their original academic programs, and students from private schools. (3) Results suggest that, under determinate circumstances, average and low-quality students consider higher grades as normal goods; conversely, high-quality students consider them as inferior goods.

The media has recently exposed that grade inllation is a concern for higher education in North America. Grade inflation may be due to consumerism by universities that now compete for students. Keeping students happy (and paying) may have been emphasized more than learning. We review the literature on faculty evaluation and present a model that incorporates students" individual differences and grade inllation as sources of bias in teaching evaluations. To improve teaching effectiveness, and avoid consumerism in higher education, faeulty evaluations must begin to tocus on students and the reciprocal role ot grade inllation in teaching evaluation.

This study investigates factors responsible for grade inflation in college education. Grade inflation and grading leniency is something really dangerous in academia has been seen as a controversial issue in tertiary education because it could endanger the whole education process. Grade inflation cannot be viewed as an improvement in students' intellectual abilities rather than just a misleading thing which works as an ineffective tool for communicating students' real abilities. This an attempt to find out instructors' views about institutional, instructional, and pedagogical factors that contribute to grade inflation in college education and to provide insight s and strategies of dealing with this problem. 40 college instructors were surveyed and relevant literature with regard to different responsible factors related to grade inflation were reviewed and discussed. The findings from surveys have shown that instructors believed that institutional and instructional factors such as student evaluations are the main factor behind grade inflation. Some suggestions and recommendations were presented to solve this problem. Keyword: grade inflation, college education, student evaluations, instructional factors, institutional factors

Philosophical Inquiry in Education, 2015

Grade inflation is a global phenomenon that has garnered widespread condemnation among educators, researchers, and the public. Yet, few have deliberated over the ethics of grading, let alone the ethics of grade inflation. The purpose of this paper is to map out and examine the ethics of grade inflation. By way of beginning, we clarify why grade inflation is a problem of practical ethics embedded in contemporary social practice. Then, we illuminate three different aspects of grade inflation—longitudinal, compressed, and comparative—and explore the ethical dilemmas that each one raises. We demonstrate how these three aspects may be seen as corresponding to three different victims of grade inflation—individuals, institutions, and society—and hence also to three potential agents of harm—teachers, schools, and educational systems. Next, we reflect upon various compelling reasons that these agents inflate grades, whether from an ethic of care, fiduciary responsibility, or simple self-preservation. Subsequently, we consider a variety of means of combatting grade inflation, and invite more educators and philosophers to delve into the complex practical ethics of grade inflation.

2016

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION High-ability entering college students give three main reasons for not choosing to become part of honors programs and colleges; they and/or their parents believe that honors classes at the university level require more work than non-honors courses, are more stressful, and will adversely affect their self-image and grade point average (GPA) (Hill; Lacey; Rinn). Some of them are likely basing their belief on the experience they had with Advanced Placement (AP) classes in their high schools. Although AP classes are not specifically designed to be more work or more difficult, at their worst they can be little more than that (Immerwahr and Farkas; Challenge Success, 2013). Just as important as the fear of more work and increased difficulty is anxiety about the increased competition within a high-ability cohort. Anne N. Rinn, for instance, cites the "theory of relative deprivation" and the "Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect" as factors that inhib...

Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice

This study examined differences in the criteria used by college and university instructors in the United States to assign course grades. Two hundred and fifty course syllabi (159 from universities and 91 from four-year colleges) developed by randomly selected instructors from five academic disciplines (education, mathematics, science, psychology, and English) were examined to determine the extent to which instructors employed different criteria in assigning course grades in introductory-level courses. Sources of variation in grade assignment included the use of product versus process criteria, the prevalence of using performance exams, and the framing criteria for grades. Differences between institution types and among academic disciplines were also investigated. Results revealed significant differences among the five academic disciplines in grading criteria and the use of examinations, with instructors in education and English relying more heavily on process criteria. A significant interaction between institution type and academic discipline in grading criteria was also identified. Theoretical, practical, and policy implications are discussed along with avenues for further research.

2009

This study examines the change in undergraduate term grade point average (GPA) for students at one large research university over a 20-year period. Results show that SAT scores, high school GPA, receipt of merit aid, gender, race, and major play a significant role in predicting term GPA. A decomposition of the net change in term GPA (assessing the effects of change in student demographics) indicates SAT scores, high school GPA, and the receipt of merit scholarship have the greatest impact on term GPA. Although evidence demonstrates that these factors influence the change in GPA over time, the results account for a relatively small proportion of the variance, indicating the likelihood that other factors not included in this study have a greater influence on student GPA.