Grade Inflation Helps
In “Stop Giving In To Higher Grades: Ten suggestions On How to Fight Grade Inflation,” the author Kevin C. Costley explains why grade inflation should be strictly decreased and how faculties should act to actually reduce it through providing a good number of citations and his own solutions. Nowadays, not only students and parents but even principals expect higher grade and this kind of problem extensively prevails in the United States. Universities also acknowledge that if the students get poor grades, they will transfer to another institute that retains a more generous grading standard, which eventually leads to imposing pressure on professors. If the students’ grades are inflated, they will not receive the chance to
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Kevin C. Costley quotes, “reducing grade inflation must be strictly followed by all faculty members. If not followed, the final product is meaningless” and states that students select and even transfer to universities and majors in accordance with the possibility of getting good grades (3, 4). These actually create self-discrepancy. Students will select universities that offer less strict grade standards and the college that practices grade inflation restrictions would gradually fall behind due to natural selection. Frankly speaking, following Kevin’s solutions would make things worse. If there is no curve on the test, it will be nothing but unfair. The professors create tests with tremendously various levels of difficulty every year, and they differ from classes too. Making curves is the least they can do to compensate for the fluctuation. For the most part, extra credit is the last option for students to ask for especially when they undergo critical situations. Eliminating the final option will compromise the flexibility of class and deprive students of their will to surmount the circumstance and make new challenges. I mean, you cannot and will not try to remove all the cars in the world merely because they emit carbon
In the op-ed, “Grade Inflation Gone Wild,” Stuart Rojstaczer addresses the concern of grade inflation and its effects on students. Rojstaczer uses several different methods to prove his point of view to the reader. Rojstaczer links grade inflation to the sinking quality of education, as well as the rise of college alcoholics. While this op-ed does a satisfactory job appealing to the reader on a person-person basis, many of Rojstaczer’s main claims do not hold any scholarly evidence. This analysis over “Grade Inflation Gone Wild” will discuss whether Rojstaczer has written this editorial solely to convince readers of his opinion, or does Rojstaczer present a credible claim in higher education’s grade inflation.
Colleges in America grade students academically for successful careers. For years students grades were calculate by an alphabetic/numeric grade scale. Today colleges are questioning whether grades should be determined by continuing to use a grade scale or switch to a pass/fail scale. Although, there were numerous of factors both positive and negative about a pass/fail system to take into consideration before making a decision. I feel that colleges in America should continue to use a grade scale to convey to students that grades have consequences, open doors to opportunity, and alleviates perturbation.
The article written by Michael Thomsen addresses the issue: should we as a society continue using a standardized grading system. Thomsen includes many reasons supporting his ultimate conclusion that we should not continue with any system of standardized grades. However, the reasons he uses to support his conclusion are affected by significant ambiguity which weakens the overall argument.
In his essay, "Why Colleges Shower Their Students With A’s,” Staples claims that student grades are increasing for the wrong reasons, causing college degrees to become meaningless. Staples provides evidence that average grades have increased significantly over the last several decades, but claims that it is not because students are working harder. The real explanation for grade inflation, he argues, is the effect of grades on both students and their professors. Teachers give more A’s to receive better evaluations and increase job security. Students give more importance to their grades as a result of the rapidly increasing cost of a college education. Staples argues that modern
I have always valued school and enlarging my intelligence; I receive a sense of pride from earning a decent grade on a paper or on a particular assignment. Alfie Kohn wrote an essay titled “From Degrading to De-grading”; in it he suggests a different view on the current education system. Even though students expect marks and even seem dependent on them, grading should spur on a love of studying not deter it. Grades tend to reduce a student’s inclination for stimulating tasks, and lessen students’ interest in erudition.
For anyone attending college the focused-on objective is to gradate and put their all-around earned degrees toward their motivation. In any case, imagine a scenario where, even facing the toughest assignments, despite how you believe your grade will manifest you manage to pull off the sought after passing grade. However, whether it was an 'A' for afford or a job well done, colleges are becoming less nit-picky and more reluctant toward the grades they award their students. Although receiving a 'get out of jail free card' would seem like the ideal college experience, Brent Staples protest, "Faced with demanding consumers and stiff competition, colleges have simply issued more and more As, stoking grade inflation and devaluing degrees" (Pg. 1065). Throughout the essay, Staples constantly uses appeal such as logos and ethos to
In the marketplace, products of poor quality are able to sell based off of a shiny finish rather than a superior function, which is relatable to the education world where schools issue empty degrees. From community colleges to Ivy League schools, within a very short time period average scores have become excellent scores. Full-time teachers have several motives for handing out high grades: avoid unpopular class cancellation, submission to administrative pressure, and to earn promotions. Similarly, part-time teachers with less job security than their full time counterparts have cause to give in to pressure as well, succumbing to threats made by complaining students. There
...for power, and failure to partake in risk taking. Overall, grades only hinder one’s education instead of fairly assessing students. Society is convinced that smartness is measured on how well you take tests. Actual knowledge is how well you retain the information over a long period of time. Referring back to Howard Gardner and Benjamin Bloom’s The Learning Pyramid, an individual remembers 5% from a lecture, 10% from reading, 20% from audiovisual, 30% from demonstration, 50% from discussion, 75% from practicing doing the activity, and lastly you remember 90% of what you learn when you teach other people. It seems the grading system only gets in the way of students’ learning processes. The pressure of grades is simply a tool of power rather than an evaluation to see how students are doing. Removing the grading system will only bring benefits to the table.
Former professor of geophysics, Stuart Rojstaczer, in his informative op-ed piece, “Grade Inflation Gone Wild,” featured in “Christian Science Monitior(2009),” investigates grade inflation among universities today. Rojstaczer’s purpose is to inform and educate universities on the inflation of grades, and how an A has become the average grade among those schools. He adopts a dismissive tone when generalizing and addressing the students on their behaviors and actions. Rojstaczer found over 80 universities with data on they’re grades, using this he was able to better understand the inflation and also analyze possible solutions. His logos based writing portrays a negative connotation on todays students and their ability to achieve within the classroom. There is no hiding that the standard for grades has been on the rise sense the 1960’s, and is now at an average GPA of a 3.0, but rojstaczer may have lost his audience with his arrogant approach.
Goode, Stephen and Maier, Timothy W. “ Inflating the Grades” Dissent Fall 1997: 102-04 in Mary Lynch Kennedy and Haley M. Smith. Reading and writing in the Academic Community. 2nd ed, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall 2001. 345-350.
Staples wrote, “Professors at every level inflate to escape negative evaluations by students, whose opinions now figure in tenure and promotion decisions”. (935) to tell the truth, I disagree with Staples opinion. I ponder on if it really the students or is it the professor. If a couple of students leave a bad review that will not make the professor look bad if they are giving them the grades they deserve. Why are the students in charge of the professor’s job? That is a question no one can answer. There are several aspect to consider whether or not the professor could be doing the job for the money or have too much pride in letting others see them do bad. Those aspects should be taking into consideration when speaking about grade inflation. I feel as if Staples is putting more blame on the students and parents than the teachers and administrators. Even if colleges use Staples’ proposal colleges are still faced competition among online universities. Students who attend a college campus generally end up in debt causing more people to steer toward receiving their diplomas online. Therefore, grade inflation will continue to rise because of the fear among
When students arrive at university, professors expect them to understand the material to an exceptional standard. The problem is that grade inflation is occurring more regularly in secondary schools and universities across the country and when these students’ marks are sent to universities or colleges, the student may be given multiple scholarships for something that he/she should not have earned. Grade inflation is conceived between both students and teachers, meaning that the students are given higher grades when they have inadequate learning, reading, and verbal skills, while the teachers do not have to grade as many papers as they should in the real curriculum. There have been multiple examinations that have confirmed that grade inflation is very real and still occurs today. Students seem to think that they do not need to put forth much effort in school to do well and grade inflation encourages this thought.
Grades are essential to a student’s life today, as they determine the success of our schooling experience, but are they really necessary? In Walden Two, Skinner takes his stance, explains how, essentially “’we don’t need “grades.” Everyone knows that talents and abilities don’t develop at the same rate in different children’” (Skinner 118). Grades are intended to be an incentive to learn, yet many view them as “’an administrative device which does violence to the nature of the developmental process’” (119). Additionally, the basis of grading is flawed initially, because it is centered on the idea that all students learn the same way and advance at the same speed. Because of this, some students cannot succeed in this standardized system. If a student doesn’t learn best with a lecture, then they will not learn as effectively as those that do, causing a lower grade and discouraging the student further from learning. This studen...
One change institutions should make to the grading system is to eliminate all factors that have noting to do with learning outcomes from affecting the students’ grade. According to the article, “Assessment of Learning Outcomes: What’s the difference?” written by Carnegie Mellon University, grades are often based on more than learning outcomes. Instructors usually include factors unrelated to learning outcomes such as attendance to class, participation, improvement and in some cases, grades are boosted a bit due to how hard the student is working.” These factors are
Students entering college for the first time look forward to the numerous tests that they are required to take least of all. Test taking and college are in tandem for many, but some debate that using testing as a grading system should be discontinued in universities. In theory it sounds like a great idea. It would cut back on stress and, more than likely, class time as well. However, stopping testing as a form of grading in universities would be soon regretted. Grading systems are an essential part of any education. Tests insure that that the student is learning what the teaching is teaching and identify areas that may need improving. The results from grading systems also show future employers or schools a glimpse of the kind of worker that a student will be. The numerous lists of positive effects on not only the students but the teachers, and even the university as a whole, outweigh the cons of using testing as a grading system.