Commentary Entry: Grade inflation and its dangerous impact

One of my responsibilities as a Social Studies teacher is to be conscious of current events that are happening at the local, state, national, and international levels.  This can be a challenging task as major news networks often attempt to spin stories to fit their particular narrative.  I'm finding more and more that I have to tell my students; "It appears that way for now, let's see what happens later this week".  In fact, I experimented with a "3 day rule" toward the end of the year.  If a student asked me a question about something going on in the news I would do my best to explain the story as I understood it.  I would encourage the student to try and revisit the story 3 days later to see if what was printed on Monday matched what was printed on Wednesday.  Websites like Snopes and FactCheck can be very helpful to curious students who want to know if what they read or heard is actually true.  

While the feeling of constantly having to question whether the information you've been given is accurate may be annoying at times, having a multitude of sources available to corroborate or challenge a story is essential to having an open and educated democratic republic.

In any case, yesterday morning I came across an article from USA Today detailing a recent study that found nearly half of America's seniors in the class of 2016 graduated with an "A" average.  I had mixed feelings before I read the article and even after reading the story I felt torn.  I work very hard to deliver quality instruction to all my students and I want them all to succeed but I also hold them accountable when need be.  The statistics in this article show a trend that simply shouldn't be and I have a few ideas about why the data is what it is.  I've included the article, as well as some of my personal thoughts below.

A's on the rise in U.S. report cards, but SAT score founder

The good news on America's report cards: More high school teachers are handing out A's.  But the bad news is that students aren't necessarily learning more.  

Recent findings show that the proportion of high school seniors graduating with an A average — that includes an A-minus or A-plus — has grown sharply over the past generation, even as average SAT scores have fallen.  

In 1998, it was 38.9%. By last year, it had grown to 47%.  

That’s right: Nearly half of America’s Class of 2016 are A students.  Meanwhile, their average SAT score fell from 1,026 to 1,002 on a 1,600-point scale — suggesting that those A's on report cards might be fool's gold.

The new findings come courtesy of two researchers: Michael Hurwitz of the College Board, the folks who bring you the SAT; and Jason Lee, a doctoral student at the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education.  

Hurwitz called the rise of the A average "really stunning."  

The revelation comes as the USA's public high schools graduate a record number of students: The average high school graduation rate now tops 83%, according to federal statistics.

But that's not always translating into more college diplomas. A recent study by the Harvard Graduate School of Education found that just 56% of college students complete a four-year degree within six years of entering college. 

For students who start at two-year colleges, it's even worse: Just 29% earn a degree within three years.

Examining the academic transcripts of high school graduates in the 18-year period from 1998 to 2016, they found that the average grade point average (GPA) rose from 3.27 to 3.38, even as the average SAT score dropped.

Actually, they said, the upward creep is most pronounced in schools with large numbers of white, wealthy students. And its especially noticeable in private schools, where the rate of inflation was about three times higher than in public schools.

Hurwitz said an A is now "the modal high school grade,” a solid sign of grade inflation.

He said one of the goals of the research is to "make sure that college admissions professionals are equipped to make the best decisions possible.”

But he said high schools are increasingly moving away from class ranking, a traditional metric that helps colleges figure out which students are really achieving above their peers.

Lee said previous research has tied high school GPA to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a widely respected standardized test administered by the federal government. But the new research is the first to draw such a direct line between GPA and SAT scores.

Recent research suggests that the problem isn’t just showing up in high school. In colleges nationwide, the most popular grade is now an A, according to Stuart Rojstaczer, a former Duke University scholar and founder of the website GradeInflation.com.

According to Rojstaczer, close to 50% of all college grades given are A’s, a far cry from even two decades ago, when the average GPA at a four-year college was 3.11.

He recently told USA TODAY that A’s are now three times more common than they were in 1960.

Rojstaczer has said grade inflation became more prevalent during the Vietnam War era, when professors began awarding higher grades to prevent students from being deployed, since students who dropped out of college were drafted into the military.

The new research is scheduled to appear in a book published in January by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Follow Greg Toppo on Twitter: @gtoppo

While this topic does not directly coincide with my Global Studies class, the growing disparity between GPA and SAT scores should be relevant to everyone involved in education today.  My thoughts on this article are based on the assumption that the two researchers did not "doctor" the data (and I do not think they did) in any way.  

The study shows average GPAs and high school graduation rates across the U.S. are rising, however average SAT scores are declining and college graduation rates are mediocre at best.  This inverse relationship does not make sense so what factors could contribute to these statistics?  The reasons below are my personal thoughts on the matter, however I made an attempt to find other sources support my reasons.

Let's begin with the rising GPA and high school graduation rates.  I believe there are a number of factors contributing to rising GPAs nationwide which include; 

• parent pressure on students to perform well (so they can get into college)
• parent pressure on teacher(s) to influence their grades (especially in private schools with high rates of tuition)
• teachers giving multiple opportunities to submit work to remain elligible for extra-curriculars and/or college.
• general lowering of expectations

 as for rising graduation rates...

• pressure on schools to increase graduation rates to meet AYP (during NCLB era)
• pressure on schools to boast high graduation rates to increase/maintain property values
• students (both learning support and regular ed) getting "passed along" 
• a focus by some states/schools to implement PBIS or other "restorative justice" programs
• removal of "zero tolerance" policies and easing of suspensions/expulsions

I believe the general decline in SAT scores as well as poor college graduation rates stem from at least a few of the reasons I mentioned.  I've only been teaching for 4 years and I've either experienced, or known someone who has experienced ALL of the factors I've listed above.

I've seen students stress over tests because of pressure put on them by their parents.  Although I haven't experienced it myself, I've had colleagues who felt pressured by parents to change not only test grades, but final course grades for a class!  I myself am guilty of sometimes giving my students too many chances to submit work when they would not have that opportunity in college or at any job.  

I am growing increasingly concerned about a culture of entitlement when it comes to student grades because it sets them up for failure later in life.  We should do everything in our power to reject this growing trend of "grade inflation".  Unintended consecquences can (and perhaps already are) resulting in attitudes of; "Why be a hardworking student if I'm going to get an A grade for C work?"

I welcome any and all comments to this post.  Does anyone else feel the same way I do or am I crazy?