When did grades marked with an “A” become the norm? Research suggests that more students are achieving “A” grades in high school and in higher levels of education, with Harvard recently announcing that over 60% of grades awarded to their students have been A’s. These statistics alarmed many people as it implied a significant change in the grading system, leading us to wonder why and how. Why has grade inflation risen to the heights it has? How is the modern education system and its students affected? To help answer these questions, I will use data from recent studies and surveys based on grading in higher education.
Grades have been marked with higher marks over the past few years. According to Catherine Rampbell in the New York Times, grade-inflation has been increasing since the 1960s, with the most recent decade showing about 43% of grades were marked as A’s. Notably, within the last decade we’ve faced the COVID-19 virus, where we saw grade-inflation increase even more. Additionally, the grade-gap between private and public shows a significant difference in grade inflation, with private schools awarding higher grades while public schools have less grade-inflation.
What are potential reasons for the up-tick in grade-inflation? Well, as Rampbell notes, one of the reasons could be, “Rather, the researchers argue that grade inflation began picking in the 1960s and 1970s probably because professors were reluctant to give students D’s and F’s. After all, poor grades could land young men in Vietnam.” The increase of grade inflation has followed notable historical trends, allowing for students and educators to see the bigger part of a student’s life outside of school. Another reason for the increase of grade inflation is simply due to the fact that educators want to motivate students to continue learning.
Of course, it is not inherently a bad thing that educators have become more generous and want their students to live happy, healthy lives. The discourse over grade inflation centers around the idea that students will not receive a good education, and instead be unprepared to deal with problems throughout their lives. Many worry that students will become less educated over time.
There is validity to the concerns stated above, it can affect a false sense of achievement, low effort, and difficulty problem-solving. At the same time, data and research point to grade inflation coming from a place of empathy to give students a shot. So, how do we solve grade inflation? What do readers think?
