Is grade inflation a myth?

This may have been addressed before, but I didn't see it when I did a search, so here goes:

According to a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics, grade inflation may be a myth, at least at the undergraduate level. The table on page 68 shows that 33.5% of all students who attended the 1999-2000 school year earned C's and D's or lower, 16.4% earned B's and C's, 24.6% earned mostly B's, 10.9% earned A's and B's, and 14.5% earned mostly A's. Were grade inflation really at work in America's institutions of higher learning, one would expect the grades to be skewed more toward the high end of the grade scale. Perhaps those professors who claim to inflate grades, do so because they feel it's easier to give out good grades than it is to "mentor" poor-performing students. Saying that grade inflation is a reality across the country gives them the excuse that everyone does it.

It is also intersting to note that older students (age 40 years and older) were more likely to earn mostly A's (33.0%) than students of typical college age (19-23) of which only 8.3% earned mostly A's. Since most distance-learners are older, this may account for the seemingly-high rate of A's that some claim to have noticed for DL courses. Older students are better students (Surprise!).

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Also of interest are the data about distance learning on pages 58-61. It appears that only 8.4% of the total undergraduate student population took any distance-education courses that year. Nearly 11% of students who listed their race as American Indian/Alaskan native took DL courses, the most for any racial group. Just over 12% of undergrads who said they were married parents took DL courses. About 6% of students who were themselves dependants took DL courses. Only 4.5% took DL courses from private for-profit institutions. Most (9.6%) took DL courses from public 2-year colleges. And 70% of the total undergraduate population that took DL courses were either more satisfied or just as satisfied with the courses as they were with "regular classes."

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002168.pdf

 

Just as a point of fact, I should point out that the most-represented age group that took DL courses was not the 40 and over crowd. It was the 30-39 year-olds (12.5%). The 40-and-over group was second-most-represented amont DL participants(10.2%). But the 30-39 year olds still reported a mostly-A's rate of 23.0%, which is still nearly three times higher than that of the college-age crowd.

Proof that old people really are smarter!

 

Thank you for this information and source reference, Tracy. The data are consistent with my personal observations and experience.

From BA in 4 Weeks OVERVIEW
The 15% to 20% passing in four weeks is not an estimate plucked out of thin air. These exams are "normed" relative to the performance of a population of young college students. Experienced, motivated adults, who set themselves the task of completing these tests, can typically outperform their younger brethren by quite a margin.

The 15% to 20% of students who can consistently score "A"s in these exams or score in the top 20% of all students, can likely pass most of the same exams (within the top 50%) with no study at all. This is not because the exams are a sham, but because these adults have accumulated a wealth of knowledge over the course of a lifetime that has direct application in these tests.



Lawrie Miller
BA n 4 Weeks - a non commercial resource for adult learners
http://geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks

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I think it is sad that some of the most notorious examples of grade inflation come from some of America's best universities. The "gentleman's C" is ridiculous. Some well-to-do folks are able to gain admission to Ivy League schools and pass even if they do very poorly. This USA Today editorial touches on the subject. http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/2002/02/08/edtwof2.htm

Steve

 

Tracy - this may well be a myth in some institutions, but I remained convinced that it is very real at the DL graduate level. I've taught in five different DL programs and have seen serious problems in grade inflation.

I'm not the toughest grader in the world, but when I use the typically graduate scale of A, A-, B+ and B, I receive a lot of pressure from students to raise grades. B's don't seem to match students expectations.

Without naming names, here are some observations:

1. In talking with the president of one of the largest on-line MBA programs in the market, she admitted that she was paying special attention to grade distribution and was talking to lenient faculty.

2. In a study of some 194 graduates in one part-time MSIS program I found the average GPA to be 3.6 with only 3 or 4 students scoring under 3.0. The school had to raise the grade point required to graduate "with honors" to 3.85 because they were graduating so many "with honors" that is wasn't an honor anymore! The same school requires no graduate admission test (GMAT/GRE, etc) and admits students with undergraduate GPA's as low as 2.5.

3. An admissions person with a well known DL PhD program told me recently at a conference that she rarely saw DL masters graduates from one well known for-profit school with GPA's under 3.85.

Perhaps my sample is a bit biased - but I believe that grade inflation is real in the customer friendly DL graduate program realm. Students pay their money - and expect their A's. Adjunct faculty don't want to be bothered by complaining students (and administrators) and they fulfill this wish.

Regards - Andy

 

Re: Re: Is grade inflation a myth?

I have absolutely no evidence to back up my own belief that all those C's and D's are being earned by students who shouldn't be in college in the first place. That's where the worst grade inflation takes place (IMHO). This is what is meant when they say, "In America there's a college for everyone."
Jack

 

Re: Re: Is grade inflation a myth?

.....I receive a lot of pressure from students to raise grades. B's don't seem to match students expectations.....

Query: Is the pressure you're receiving from students a result of pressure they're receiving to achieve higher grades?

My understanding is that more than half of the students in these programs depend upon some form of tuition reimbursement or assistance from their employers. In that regard, many employers set the floor at a "B"; anything less equals no money. It also stands to reason that students would have a strong desire to demonstrate to their employers that they achieved more than the bare minimum.

Additionally, there are a number of schools that require a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to remain in good academic standing and be awarded the degree. As a result, the de facto "average" letter grade is a "B".

In short, I have to wonder whether the students are entirely to blame here.

 

Re: Re: Re: Is grade inflation a myth?

Homer - Good point. Some employers give higher reimbursements for A's then they do for B's. Students have a financial incentive to do well in classes.

What can I say when a student comes to me and says "Can you give me an A, I get lower reimbursement when I get a B."?

Simple answer - I award grades based on performance in class. I can't allow reimbursement policies to influence my grading. Rather than tell me about y our reimbursement situation, can we talk about your performance in class and how you can improve?

You are also correct in pointing out that a 3.0 is required to graduate from many MS programs. Typically, I tell students that grades lower than a B (e.g. B-, C+) are special grades that they can earn by not completing the work I've asked them to complete.

Regards - Andy

 

As far as DL, my (very limited) experience is actually quite the opposite.
My scores for computer graded (multiple option) exams are basically straight A's, on the other hand, the only two "human graded" exams that I took (ECE American Dream and ECE English Comp) were both graded "C", I disagree with my American Dream grade, and very strongly disagree with my English Comp grade.

In order to be admitted into a teacher certification course (in Texas), I needed to take a writing test (part of the TASP), it has two parts, a computer graded multiple choice, where actual stories from the media are modified with errors, then you choose between the different "corrections", and a written essay. Again, my computer graded was almost all correct, good for an "A", my written essay was not so well graded by a human (I still passed with well above the minimum.)

Maybe I need to find out where grades are being "inflated", and take again these tests.

Guillermo Hernandez

 

When I first took a college class, it was 1966, the school was Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and I was a science major.

At that time and place, D's and F's were not uncommon, particularly in lower division and introductory courses. All the students were aware that part of these classes' function was to weed us out. Attrition rates were high.

C's actually weren't bad. A B was a good grade. And an A was rather unusual, representing a superior student.

Today that no longer seems to be the case, particularly in the humanities and social 'sciences'. Many students fully expect to receive an A, which apparently means something like 'adaquate'. A B is a bad grade. And a C is really an F, except that the instructor took pity on you.

One factor that might contribute to this is the increased ability that students have today to drop a class. Particularly in difficult subjects like calculus, students enroll in a class, do some homework sets, take the first examination, are appalled, and bail before the deadline. Professors often discreetly take students aside and advise them to drop out before a bad grade goes on their permanant record.

It's not uncommon to see on-campus classes badly overcrowded on the first day. But by the end of the semester, at least half the chairs are empty. More than 50% have bailed out. Students not uncommonly attempt a more-difficult class two or three times before completing it.

But my experience is that this in-class attrition is highest in science and mathematics. Students know this, and often fear these subjects. So there are periodically articles in the science-education periodicals arguing that if the nation wants more kids to major in these subjects, it needs easier classes. But the objections are predictable, and probably well justified.

When I returned to school more than a decade later in a different major (philosophy and religion) and a different university (San Francisco State), I was very aware of the changed atmosphere. Classes were smaller, attrition was lower, and grades were much higher. I no longer had to hit the books and struggle in the same way simply in order to compete and survive. I started routinely receiving A's that I really wasn't sure that I deserved.

That pattern has continued down to the present. The A has become the expectation, the B means substandard.

But once C meant average, and the average was pretty high. B was above average, and something to actually be proud of. And an A was an award, a prize.

 

Steve - At one time family connections got people into Ivy league schools. If you believe the book "Bell Curve", this is much less so today. It is extremely hard to get into Harvard today - less than 12% of applicants make it and it takes good grades and test scores. The gentlemen's club business is largely a piece of history.

Another point - I see grade inflation coming in different flavors. I'm not as offended by grade inflation at Ivy league schools - if they are selective (which they are), have high quality instruction (which they have) and are demanding of students (which I also think they are). The grade inflation that is most troubling comes from weaker academic institutions requiring little work and still giving out A's.

Classic example - medical schools. If you are good enough to be one of 150 incoming students out of a pool of 7000 applicants (typical numbers at top medical schools) and you stick with the rigorous course of instruction, I don't see a need to flunk anybody. If I'm teaching at an open admission (or nearly so) graduate program and everyone is getting A's and the material isn't very tough - that's a joke.

Regards - Andy

 

Andy: Classic example - medical schools. If you are good enough to be one of 150 incoming students out of a pool of 7000 applicants (typical numbers at top medical schools) and you stick with the rigorous course of instruction, I don't see a need to flunk anybody.

Rich: When I was the Commandant of Cadets at San Diego State's AFROTC unit, we had a cadet who was studying a pre-med curriculum the school designed especially for him. At the same time, we busted our butts getting him a military scholarship to med school. Well, Jim graduated and got the scholarship. He was admitted to Stanford. During his first year, his father back in Ireland fell ill. The school told him, essentially, take your time, do what you need to do, we'll be here when you get back, etc. Their whole attitude, according to Jim, was that once you made it in, you had what it took to graduate from Standford Med and become a physician. Their role was to get you there, and they were bent on succeeding. They even paid for his airfare home! I was impressed.

Jim graduated and is finishing his 7th year of residency (microsurgery) at UC San Francisco Hospital. He'll serve a tour in the Air Force soon, then return to private practice. An amazing guy and a good friend.

(I had the honor of commissoining him as a 2Lt going into Stanford, then as a captain on the way out. Jim returned the favor when he served as a groomsman in my wedding a couple of years after that.)

 

I think that's an eminently fair policy. I don't feel tuition reimbursement policies should influence grading nor should students receive superior grades for wholly inferior class work or failing to complete work assigned.

However, I know of situations (firsthand and otherwise) where instructors set their focus on obscure and tangential issues or simply relate anecdotes for virtually the entire term. Unfortunately, none of the foregoing appears on the final exam which, as it happens, comprises the majority of a student's grade. Invariably, we have an inordinate amount of head scratching as the instructor tries to discern why students fared so poorly on the test and why some are demanding grade adjustments. The standard response is that everything on the exam was in the materials which, in turn, begs the question as to the purpose of having an instructor in the first place (as in "explaining and expanding upon the materials"). In short, there are instructors out there who play an active role in their students' substandard performance.

 

Those connections still work, Andy. Although admissions at the likes of Yale and Harvard run in the 11-12% range, they tend to admit well over 40% of "legacy" applicants. That's more than a little out of whack and the fact that these legacies rarely flunk out speaks volumes, IMHO.