The Consequences of Grade Inflation

The grade point averages of college students have increased annually since the early 1960's, while scores on standard aptitude tests have dropped. Most educators believe the escalation of grades is not due to increased learning or better students.

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.

Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2000

Considerable research has been conducted on grade inflation and its pervasiveness. Given the significance of grade inflation on the quality of the educational experience and the reputations of colleges and universities, efforts to assess its presence and underlying causes should be supported and solutions developed. Because periodic changes in average grades in the short term may be anomalous, mean grade point averages (GPAs) for 262 undergraduate courses at a Liberal Arts college were examined for trends across a 10-yr. period. Analysis showed higher grades appeared within two of the colleges' four academic units, although the reasons remained unclear. Tentative explanations are explored.

Over the past few decades, claims of grade inflation in American higher education have been ubiquitous, with ample evidence documenting its prevalence and severity. Many have condemned the trend toward grade inflation , noting that students spend less time studying in courses that inflate grades, and that students who receive inflated grades in introductory or preliminary courses often do poorly in advanced courses. In this article we present summary findings of a study we conducted that examines grading trends across a recent five-year span in two of the largest higher education systems in the United States: the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems. We show that changes in grade distributions in many campuses have begun to plateau, but note that it may be premature to claim that grade inflation is an issue of the past. We also cite and discuss a potential correlate of grade inflation others have ignored: the relationship between grade point averages and semantic definitions of grade categories.

Some people attribute the students’ low performance at school to several different causes like, social media, working parents, poverty, bullying, unskilled teachers, conventional teaching and learning approaches, family problems, no assistance at home, absenteeism and so on, but all these are only the tip of the iceberg. The real reason however is somewhere within this medley of causes. Our concern here is simple, how come the students perform poorly at school, yet they get high grades?! Logically, it is unconceivable that a poor learner gets excellent grades and then be applauded and rewarded. This is an ironic situation, isn’t it? But unfortunately this is what happens in reality. The students are killing themselves to get good marks regardless of what they have achieved as learners. The standard of mastery in any school subject doesn’t permit high grades unless there is talent, concentration and perfection. Brilliant students cannot be distinguished now that even low efficient students can get high marks which can generally be ill-gotten.

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.

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.

Educational Researcher, 2013

Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics

Academics worry grade inflation lowers standards; whereas, employers are concerned grades may not distinguish students’ abilities. These concerns are dismissed if higher grades reflect improved academic achievement and not inflation. Potential grade inflation is examined using data from 17,696 classes between 1985 and 2019 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. Evidence of systemic grade increase is found after controlling for institution, instructor, and student characteristics. Grade increases are partially explained by recruiting better and more female students. Grade inflation, however, may be associated with increased hiring of graduate students and other instructors.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

When employers cannot tell whether a school truly has many good students or whether it is just giving easy grades, schools have an incentive to in ate grades to help their mediocre students. However schools also care about preserving the value of good grades for their good students. We construct a signaling model in which grade in ation is the equilibrium outcome. The inability to commit to an honest grading policy in an environment of private information reduces the informativeness of grades and hurts the school. We also show that grade in ation by one school makes it easier for another school to fool the market with grade in ation. Hence easy grades are strategic complements, and this provides a channel to make grade in ation contagious.