.(1.66x2.17)6109.jpg)
This article written by Michael Berube highlights the recent effects that a constant rise in grades over the past few decades has had on schools across the country. These universities consist of Ivy League schools as well as small town community colleges all the way to public schools. Mainly at the collegiate level, however, professors have reported that their students have been scoring higher grades than in years past but that also the grades might not be as hard to get. Berube states that critics believe we are close to a system right now that minimally showcases the hard work and effort that “A+” students should receive. Berube also goes on to detailing a potential plan as to how to handle the grade inflation. He added that Princeton claimed to only allow the top 35% of each class receive an “A”. As drastic as this sounds, he explained that just a couple of years ago, 90% of graduating students from Harvard did so with Honors. This is hard to believe considering Harvard is globally one of the most prestigious schools.
I think this entire situation is very attractive because I think I have seen the same flow of grades as I have increased in my schooling career. Not that I have been able to take a cross sectional look at the increase in national grades since I have been in school, from what people have told me about how grades used to be, everyone does actually perform better now. Many of my professors even claim that they had no care about what grade they made in a course at the time of their studying. Regardless, due to the fact that millions of job-hungry students graduate in the same week every year, it is easy to see why these students want to make good grades to stand out from the countless other graduates.
Nick, great job- I think that you are right to be skeptical about some of these claims. I also think the author is being semi-ironic, however grade inflation could be bad for students as it would affect the way their degrees are valued (by jobs or grad programs).
ReplyDeleteSchools will never all be the same, so the question becomes just how similar are they? Can undergrad grades in one be trusted for transfer or graduate performance in another? Are grades trustworthy indicators of achievement at all, or are they arbitrary institutional benchmarks that shift too easily between professors to be reliable?
Different colleges, programs, and professors all calculate their grades differently... The issue is just how much? After all, while many smart kids go to Harvard/Princeton, are they all EQUALLY smart and hard-working? Doubtful. There is probably a range, just like at any other school. And while a C student at Princeton may be an A student elsewhere, their grade should still reflect their C quality work in the context of their own institution. Which would suggest that Harvard's criteria may not be as rigorous as other schools; yet they can get away with it because they have higher admissions standards. They don't fix it because it helps their image to have 90% honors; yet honors, by definition, should only be the top marginal percentage! Otherwise what's the point? This is where I agree with you, it sounds hard to believe. Perhaps there's some fuzzy math going on there.
I also tend to think that the comparisons between students now and in the 70's are also problematic; this is the comparison scale the article cites. There are so many differences between students now and students 40 years ago, I wonder whether a comparison is really even fair?
Full Credit!
- jeff