Grade Inflation

[Gwen in VA]

Interesting article on grade inflation by Walter Williams

 

http://www.creators.com/opinion/walter-williams.html?columnsName=wwi

 

 

I think this should work now!

Edited May 6, 2009 by Gwen in VA

[Sharon in MD]

Hey Gwen....maybe it is just me, but I can't get the link to work.

[Janice H]

Go to townhall.com, click on commentators in tabs at top of screen. Select Walter Williams from bottom of list. It's the first and most recent article of his.

 

Worth noting too is a link to an audio file by Charles Murray on the left.

 

I don't know why the direct link won't work.

 

I love Prof. Williams; his website has some good reading lists and links.

[Gwen in VA]

I redid the link -- sorry about that! I'm still working on those computer literacy skills! :confused:

[mamaof2andtwins]

I have been saying this to anyone who will listen for a few years. No one seems to believe me.

 

I did a google search on grade inflation. Wow! There are a lot of articles out there. Now, I just have to find the time to read them all.

 

Jennie

[Brenda in MA]

Gwen,

 

Thanks for sharing. I hadn't heard much about grade inflation, but I should have suspected it because in our local middle & high schools, about half of the students make the honor roll each term.

 

I also encountered this a bit during my son's college application process. I did mommy grades for him, and he ended up with a 3.6, which I thought was pretty good. I come to find out that for someone with his test scores, a 3.6 is considered mediocre. His GPA doesn't seem to have effected his acceptance at the schools he applied to, so colleges must have looked beyond that knowing that he was homeschooled.

 

However, I think it did mean that he wasn't accepted to the honors college at our local state university (he was accepted to the school, though), even though his test scores were above their cut off. I also think it may have hurt his chances for some scholarships where the evaluators don't see too many homeschoolers and just took the number for what it was.

 

For my next child, I think I'm going to either not submit grades for the courses done at home, or give him As if he scores well on standardized tests or community college courses in the same subjects.

 

Thanks again, Gwen, a timely subject!

Brenda

[Miss Marple]

For my next child, I think I'm going to either not submit grades for the courses done at home, or give him As if he scores well on standardized tests or community college courses in the same subjects.

 

An interesting idea. My 10th grader took the April ACT and scored well. In fact, the ACT now lists a GPA for the commulative score. His score was considered to be equivalent to a 4.0 (I'm assuming for a senior). Our automotive insurance carrier will use this to give him the "good student" discount.

 

Interesting topic....

[Mary in GA]

Grade inflation is rampant in high schools in my state due at least in part to pressure not to have deny kids the Hope Scholarship. Unfortunately, I suspect there is also some grade inflation in the colleges because some are pressured not to have so many students lose the scholarship. I was totally unimpressed with a few of the courses ds has taken at a small local university. However, I have to say that his 2nd semester of physics is more like I remember it: highest test grade a 60 or 70 and lots of 40's and 50's!

 

Thanks for posting that link, Gwen.

 

Mary

[Piano&ViolinMom]

in our local middle & high schools, about half of the students make the honor roll each term. Brenda

 

In our district, you are in honor roll implies that you are not in the bottom of class, nothing more. It's like every kids are in honor roll. One of problems is that, for some bright (specially boys) kids but has less maturity, they can be easily misplaced in this rank system because they would miss a couple of homeworks' due date.

[Piano&ViolinMom]

I come to find out that for someone with his test scores, a 3.6 is considered mediocre. Brenda

 

Yes, you came to realization correctly. 3.6 GPA kids may not have a place in class rank in our district.

[Brenda in MA]

Unfortunately, I suspect there is also some grade inflation in the colleges because some are pressured not to have so many students lose the scholarship.

 

Mary

 

I also think that grade inflation at the college level is due to the huge influence of the US News rankings of colleges. One of the major factors in the rankings is student retention -- what percent of freshman return for their sophomore year and also what percent graduate in 4 or 6 years.

 

Because of this, colleges have a huge incentive to do everything they can to keep a student from dropping out. I think this factor is the reason that so many schools have lots of student help services, from counseling to tutoring, etc. I'm guessing that the professors also receive gentle pressure from the administration not to flunk too many students.

 

Brenda

[Gwen in VA]

There are a FEW things that are still competitive. The Phi Beta Kappa chapter at my kids' college accepts ONLY the top 5% of the class based (obviously) on GPA. Period.

 

(That may be standard for PBK chapters -- the college I attended so I know very little about PBK.)

 

I agree -- the college honor roll seems to be pretty popular! ;-)

[Mary in GA]

I also think that grade inflation at the college level is due to the huge influence of the US News rankings of colleges. One of the major factors in the rankings is student retention -- what percent of freshman return for their sophomore year and also what percent graduate in 4 or 6 years.

 

Because of this, colleges have a huge incentive to do everything they can to keep a student from dropping out. I think this factor is the reason that so many schools have lots of student help services, from counseling to tutoring, etc. I'm guessing that the professors also receive gentle pressure from the administration not to flunk too many students.

 

Brenda

 

I had not thought of rankings influencing universities (duh), but I'm sure you're right, since college age people are a declining demographic and there are large administrations to support; it's business. The university that ds will be attending in the fall historically had a very high freshman attrition rate back in the day (I was one!) How far can they go towards dumbing down an engineering education just to secure business? That's really disturbing. I'm hoping that the top universities are quite so pressured.

 

Mary

[Kimm in WA]

Cynthia,

Where on the ACT student report does it list the score to GPA equivalents? I am not seeing it.

Thanks

[Miss Marple]

Look down at the bottom of the page where it says "Your Information". There it lists the class rank, composite score, calculated gpa, and selected major.

[K-FL]

How far can they go towards dumbing down an engineering education just to secure business? That's really disturbing.

 

Mary

 

My nephew is 2 semesters away from graduating from Auburn in engineering. They curve EVERY grade, which to my mind is the same as inflating them. My sis said that it's standard for the prof. to cover one thing in class, test on another & the dc are thrilled if they make a C.

[Kimm in WA]

Thanks Cynthia. My ds´s report has dashes through that. Maybe bc he took it as an 8th grader . . .

[Joan in GE]

I also think that grade inflation at the college level is due to the huge influence of the US News rankings of colleges. One of the major factors in the rankings is student retention -- what percent of freshman return for their sophomore year and also what percent graduate in 4 or 6 years.

 

I don't get much contact with fellow Americans but one who had examined the grade inflation subject said that it is worse in the private schools rather than the public universities. She said that because of funding problems, the state schools were happier to get rid of students.

 

 

Over here, people are happy to pass. If you look at this document, on the column on the far right, you will see that the total average of students to pass the freshman year was only 51%. (this is the school were my second is now). This is due to the politics of letting everyone who has the proper background tests enter the school. In some universities, students are sitting on the floor because an auditorium that was meant for 700 has 900 in it. This is not the case in my son's school, just saying what that policy can lead to.