Grade Inflation

Because of widespread "grade inflation," the grade of C, once considered an average mark, is becoming an endangered species at many U.S. colleges, according to recent data cited by a Duke University professor. C's constitute less than 10 percent of all grades given at Duke, compared with more than 25 percent in 1969. At Pomona College and at Duke, Harvard and Columbia Universities, about half of all grades are A's, while D's and F's combined account for only about 2 percent of grades. Some state schools show a similar trend: at the University of Illinois, A's make up 40 percent of grades and are three times as common as C's.

Parents and students paying high college tuiiton expect high marks in return, but grade inflation makes it harder for teachers to motivate students, according to the author, who writes that it has become almost impossible for a professor to grade honestly.

Reflection:Do you think grades help or hurt a teacher's effectiveness? What do you think is a fair system for apportioning letter grades?

Answer:I think that for most students, grades function as a useful incentive -- both as a carrot and as a stick -- and that doing away with them entirely would tend to make students less responsible about keeping up with coursework and putting effort into assignments. Unfortunately, grade inflation has almost the same effect. Students are less motivated to work hard if they feel secure that they won't get anything below a B. Grade inflation at an institution tends to penalize teachers who want to grade fairly or strictly, because they fear that students will resent getting a C or lower grade and will avoid their classes. Once such a trend is under way at a school, peer pressure tends to perpetuate it.

Perhaps the fairest solution is for teachers to be explicit at the outset of a course about what is expected and how grades will be determined. Telling students how many points an assignment is worth, or what percentage of the grade depends on papers or exams, can help to standardize grades. Of course, grading of essays and participation is still somewhat subjective. I believe that C's still have their place in the grading scheme, and that if a student's work is only average, a C is deserved.

Offering students the option of taking an occasional course pass/fail (perhaps once a semester) helps to avoid one often- mentioned downside of grading, the concern that students will avoid courses that they fear may be especially challenging for them for fear of getting a low mark.

Submitted by: Student Name, School Name
Source:Stuart Rojstaczer (op. ed piece), Washington Post, Jan. 28, 2003