It's called "grade inflation" and according to Sita Slavov in U.S. News & World Report, this phenomenon has reached epidemic proportions that imposes serious costs on society. In contrast to the market place where prices can rise without limit, grades are capped at A or A+. Thus, grade inflation results in a greater concentration of students at the top of the distribution, diminishing their value as an indicator of student abilities. This make it more difficult for employers and graduate schools to differentiate among all of those exemplary, high achieving students.
The economist Tim Harford has proposed making grade inflation more like price inflation by uncapping the highest grade. Under this system, today's B becomes tomorrow's A+, tomorrow's A+ becomes the day after tomorrow's A+++, and so on...ad infinitum. Employers and graduate schools could simply deflate grades the same way that economists deflate prices in order to compare them over time.
To bring the epidemic under control by ending grade inflation, The Motley Monk offers a simple, straightforward solution: Identify the grades assigned in each course on student transcripts. For example:
1. The traditional way that leads to grade inflation:
Social Studies 101..........D
One could examine these grades and conclude that the student is
slightly above average overall with strengths in thinking and writing.
2. Now, consider The Motley Monk's "truth in labeling" approach
that exposes grade inflation:
Course Grade %A's %B's %C's %D's %F's
Math 101.....................B 5 60 22 9 4
English 101..................A 90 5 5 0 0
Social Studies 101........D 10 20 50 15 5
Philosophy 101.............A 2 28 45 25 0
Science 101.................B 5 22 37 34 2
While the grades are identical, The Motley Monk's approach suggests
that this student excelled in Philosophy 101 and was pretty much average
in the other courses, except for Science 101. The "B" in Science 101
places this student squarely in the upper quarter of the course. These
grades indicate this student might have what it takes to pursue an
advanced degree, as this student evidences strong thinking (analytical)
skills and may be a strong reader and writer.
More importantly, the professor who taught English 101 clearly does
not discriminate between ability levels, with only 10% of the students
being assigned less than excellent grades. That might be a matter
academic administrators might want to investigate.
While some argue that grade inflation is necessary to help students get ahead in a competitive job market, transcripts influenced by grade inflation end up not communicating what the people examining them need to know about a particular applicant's academic achievements.
Liberals in higher education should be among the first to applaud The Motley Monk's solution because it's consistent with President Obama's FDA. If food containers must identify their contents so that consumers can make more informed decisions, why not "truth in labeling" on transcripts?
Let the discussion begin...
To read Sita Slavov article in U.S. News & World Report, click on the following link:
"How to Fix College Grade Inflation."\