Running head: GRADE INFLATION
Grade Inflation: Problem and Solution
In APA Style
Billy Louis Haines III
DeVry University
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Abstract
This white Paper defines the problem of grade inflation as well as the underlying causes and problematic effects of this global issue. Attention is given to the various forms of grade inflation which include grade compression as well as content deflation. Four problematic factors of grade inflation are provided in the form of the student, parent, instructor and institutional factors respectively. Current localized solutions are listed as well as the author’s recommendation for a global, standardized hybrid solution to grade inflation, or at least as much of an explanation of this recommendation that could be accommodated on a white paper limited to ten pages.
Grade inflation is an ever-present, ever-evolving issue that damages students, faculty and even the credibility of the institutions of higher learning which have been tasked with the education of our future leaders. There is currently no “total package” solution to grade inflation available although some schools have implemented some creative and unique strategies to help curb grade inflation on a localized level. This white paper will explain why these solutions are only temporary “bandages” that, in their current form, will not resolve the issue of grade inflation. Furthermore, these solutions can actually further damage the students currently attending the schools that implement such policies. The reader will gain an understanding of various causes, the effects and even one viable solution to the problem of grade inflation in America’s schools and universities. In fact, this paper stipulates the criteria recommended for a hybrid solution that incorporates the “best practices” of current solutions and combines these methods to create a standardized solution to grade inflation.
The definition: Grade inflation is, simply put, the effect of schools awarding high grades, “A’s”, as well as honors to students that do not deserve them. This becomes an issue when it occurs on a large scale basis. Unfortunately, this is an issue that is running rampant across all facets of modern academia from your local elementary school all the way up to the most prestigious universities in America. Here is an excerpt from a popular publication in regard to grade inflation at an Ivy League Institution: “..eight out of every 10 Harvard students graduate with honors and nearly half receive A's in their courses.. (USAToday, 2002)” Even America’s top schools have been unable to tackle this issue which leads us to the various causes as well as the effects of grade inflation.
The cause: We must first ascertain the cause of any problem prior to locating a plausible and effective solution. In regard to grade inflation the cause is a multifaceted one. In all actuality the underlying causes of grade inflation could be attributed to all parties involved. This primarily includes, but is not limited to the students, parents, teachers and even the institutions.
The student factor: Students want higher grades but do not necessarily want to work for these grades and this contributes to grade inflation as students who do not receive good grades are more likely to complain or provide poor course critiques for an instructor. Unfortunately, in many modern institutions these critiques can inhibit an instructor’s advancement. This is especially true of an instructor that has not yet received tenure. “In some cases, merit raises, promotion, and tenure of faculty are heavily dependent on classroom teaching evaluations performed by students (Hunt, Gardin, 2007, p.21).”
The parent factor: Parents want to see their children receive good grades. This combined with the fact that parents want to see the money that they spend on their child’s college education go to good use contributes to what I refer to as the parent factor. Parents are likely to follow procedures to post complaints which can create issues for faculty. Many teachers will award better grades to avoid both the student as well as the parent factor. This particular factor can be viewed more concisely in an editorial I cited which provides insight into one of the challenges a school may face that could lead to voluntary grade inflation. There is no mandated standard and thus some schools grade on a 6 point scale and others on a 10 pt scale. The author makes a point of parent’s favoring a more lax grading system in order to make their students more competitive with other schools instead of concentrating on a stronger student (Editorial, August 26, 2007).
The instructor and institution factors: Although it is easy to pinpoint both the student and parent factors and how they contribute to grade inflation, the instructor/institution factors become much more complex and in some ways more convoluted. This is because they are, in some ways, related to the aforementioned factors; however, contribute their own diverse causes. This is portrayed quite well in an article written on the subject of grade inflation by a Professor Pressman who makes some valid points with good references in regard to the fact that grade inflation is not due to smarter, more prepared students. He points out that SAT and GRE scores are lower while more students are in remedial classes than ever. He blames grade inflation on faculty bending and giving unwarranted good grades due to student complaints, dropouts and thus cancelled classes, student evaluations for non-tenured instructors which can lead to the loss of future teaching positions (Pressman, 2007). An excerpt from another publication further elaborates on the complications of the student/instructor factors; “In some cases, merit raises, promotion, and tenure of faculty are heavily dependent on classroom teaching evaluations performed by students (Hunt, Gardin, 2007, p.21).”
This is demonstrative of how the various factors intertwine to create a larger problem. Unfortunately, the problem must first be identified and some institutions are in a state of denial when it comes to the issue of grade inflation. One example of this would be the Head of Exeter School of Law who publically states that grade inflation at Exeter is due to better, smarter students. The statistics provided demonstrate between 59 and 93 percent honors, this is well beyond the realm of a modern marvel of “super students” (Begum, 2008; Husnara, 2008).
Yet another form of grade inflation that can be attributed primarily to both instructors and institutions in regard to cause is content deflation. “Another less well known version of grade inflation is ‘content deflation’ where students receive the same grades as students in the past but with less work required and less learning (Schiming, n.a.).” Authors Chan, Hao and Suen offer even more insight into the causes of grade inflation in their white paper from An International Economic Review. This paper offers many reasons for grade inflation which include a lack of standardization as well as grade compression. Grade compression is defined by the lack of ability to score beyond an A+, therefore limiting top performance students if a more lax grading system is used in lower grade scales. In other words, if mediocre performing students receive A’s then what incentive is there for a student to delve into the realm of deeper learning? (Chan, 2007; Hao, 2007; Suen, 2007)
The effects: The most obvious effect of grade inflation is an employer’s inability to discern between an average and advanced student based on that student’s GPA or grade point average. Chan, Hao and Suen come to the rescue again by giving credence to this dilemma via a thorough explanation. “When a school gives a lot of good grades, the labor market cannot fully distinguish whether this is due to an overly liberal grading standard or whether the school is blessed with a large proportion of high-ability students (Chan, Hao, Suen, 2007, p.1066).” If employers are unable to determine the merit of a student by reviewing that student’s GPA then this will inevitably lead to a decrease in the validity of a diploma or degree and force the labor market to further rely on alternative means of making these determinations such as professional certifications. In my opinion the most devastating of the many problems associated with grade inflation is that which the students must suffer. As previously mentioned grade compression and content deflation can combine to place students in a substandard academic environment and allow these students to achieve both a respectable GPA and even a degree without the educational reward gained from deeper learning. This can lead to high school graduates that are not prepared for college and even college graduates that may find themselves at a loss of preparation for the labor market. This is not due to a lack of talent on the student’s behalf but a lack of organization and as you will soon become aware of a lack of standardization in regard to institutions.
Currently implemented solutions: To date schools are left to fend for themselves when it comes to grade inflation. Localized solutions are present at many academic institutions that have ventured far enough to pioneer these various fixes. However, any local solution to a problem that spans across the entire industry is merely a bandage applied to a much larger wound. That does not imply that these solutions are not effective if mandated, applied and regulated on a global level.
One example of these pioneering solutions was recommended by Professor Abbott who is a Teacher at Fairfield University in Southern New England. He offered a method to curb grade inflation at his University: “I proposed that two new items be added to each course listed on our students’ transcripts: the number of students in the course section and the average grade awarded. At the end of the transcript, a cumulative average of all the grades in all of the course sections would be listed alongside the student’s own cumulative average. Anyone examining the transcript could thus see how well the student had performed relative to the other students in his or her courses (Abbott, 2008, p.34).”
Nancy Weiss Malkiel recommended a strategy to curb grade inflation at Princeton University. Her method was implemented in 2003 and limits the number of A’s assignable to 3 out of 10. Malkiel argues that employers thought this an agreeable change and that it should not negatively impact the student’s competitiveness in the labor market (Arenson, 2004). Although this is an ingenious concept in my opinion it does include an inherent flaw in the design when implemented on a localized basis. Many prospective employers do not follow institutional grading policies and will be faced with a hiring decision between a Princeton “B” student and an “A” student of equal caliber from another school that does not enforce such a policy. It has been argued that the students will be the ones to suffer from such an implementation as stated so eloquently by Miss Ellis-Christensen who wrote a very titillating article on the subject. “While universities attempt to address grade inflation, students are left to either benefit or suffer from the results of these attempts. Their grades may reflect grading practices that are either too harsh or too soft (Ellis-Christensen, 2008).” This leads us to my proposal for a standardized, hybrid solution to grade inflation.
The proposal: After much research and careful consideration of all parties both involved and affected by grade inflation and any resultant fix implemented I have finally drawn a conclusion in regard to a solution. An effective solution will require a multi-tiered, hybrid approach that will include the best practices of current implementations while requiring a standardization which must be enforced by a governing body. Both of the aforementioned localized solutions would prove quite effective if implemented on a global scale. We must further eliminate all of the previously mentioned factors that contribute to all forms of grade inflation.
First is the elimination of the parent, student, instructor and institutional factors. The parent factor will be eliminated by a standardized grading scale. Either a six or ten point scale must be selected and implemented universally throughout academia. As long as all schools apply solutions equally and simultaneously then the parent factor will be successfully halted. The student factor can also be remedied with a couple of slight adjustments to the current system. If Professor Malkiel’s approach of limiting A’s to three out of every ten students is applied universally then this would help curb the student factor. Furthermore, student course critiques should not be imperative to an instructor’s tenure. The standardization process that will be mentioned soon should incorporate deeper learning by design and alleviate the possibility of student’s skimming their way through a college degree. In regard to the instructor and institutional factors, Professor Malkiel’s approach will successfully eliminate grade compression and the removal of student critique power will further eliminate content deflation as teacher’s will no longer have to make a class easier to entice students to provide positive feedback or not to drop classes. All levels of classes will become tougher and more competitive forcing deeper learning upon the students, which is actually a good thing. I believe that Professor Abbott was on to something with his previous recommendations. These recommendations surface again and again the more I researched this topic. Here are two excerpts from a Professor Schiming’s article on the MNSU website; “The use of a more finely tuned grading scale (Schiming, n.a.).” and “The use of the overall class grade in the transcript (Schiming, n.a.).” It is imperative that official transcripts be altered and enforced in such a way as to demonstrate that schools are complying with the “Malkiel Approach”. Ultimately, all aforementioned solutions should be mandated and implemented and a governing body should be elected to enforce standardization and audit school adherence. This is the only effective solution.
In conclusion, grade inflation is a global issue that comes in many forms. It currently affects all parties involved in a negative manner and requires immediate attention as well as a global solution. The tools to curb this issue are already in place and simply need refining as well as a standardized body to implement and regulate these solutions globally.
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B Haines
CCNA R&S, ETA FOI
