Abstract
Academic institutions worldwide, from primary schools to universities, use grades or marks as a fundamental sorting and signaling mechanism for students. The grades awarded to students should be indicative of learning outcomes. However, do the grades awarded today accurately reflect student achievement in the classroom? Grade inflation has become a widespread phenomenon within the education system in the past thirty years, garnering massive condemnation among educators, researchers and the public. Some people even view grade inflation as a scandal, an injustice and a violation of student trust. Nevertheless, there are some academic institutions that find it convenient to ignore this problem and, in some cases, encourage the practice. In this paper, we examine the various factors that can contribute to grade inflation. Additionally, we assess how grade inflation can create problems for students, faculty, and society as a whole. Finally, we provide some suggestions and recommendations to solve the problems of grade inflation.
Highlights
The term ‘grade inflation’ denotes an increase in grade point average (GPA) without a concomitant increase in achievement (Potter & Nyman, 2001)
New students who enroll in a college or university learn about grading policies from their peers or senior classmates, who can mislead them. It is important for academic institutions and individual faculty members to clearly articulate the standards that are expected of their students
Most of the academic institutions that practice grade inflation believe in the notion of “student consumerism”, which states that students want their money’s worth and want to obtain easy ‘A’ grades
Summary
The term ‘grade inflation’ denotes an increase in grade point average (GPA) without a concomitant increase in achievement (Potter & Nyman, 2001). Similar increases in top marks and grades have been documented in Canada, France, and Sweden, among many other countries (Alphonso, 2014; Bamat, 2014; Maagan & Shapira, 2013; Wikstrom & Wikstrom, 2005) By examining this phenomenon from a different angle, have the grade point averages increased and the proportion of high grades awarded to students. To understand the dilemma caused by grade inflation at academic institutions, the author read numerous research reports and articles focusing on the grading practices in different countries. Since this is a philosophical paper, the focus is on normative analysis of grade inflation, rather than an empirical analysis. We examine the various consequences of grade inflation and conclude by presenting some simple steps that academic institutions can take to resolve the problem of grade inflation
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