Grade Inflation: What Seems to be a Dream is in Reality a Nightmare

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Every year, Canadian students in their senior high school year eagerly anticipate for their acceptance letters to the university of their dreams. Competition of high grades has become increasingly popular, as post-secondary institutions demand minimum grade requirements for entry. In the recent past, this competition has led to a phenomenon called grade inflation, which is the result of awarding a higher grade than what the student deserves (Dictionary.com, 2014). As a result, students receive a huge surprise in university, as their grade drop significantly compared to their high school grades. Grade inflation stems from many sources, such as influences of parents, teachers, students and even from competition between schools. Regardless of the reason, grade inflation has a huge impact on current and future students, as grades for the most part act as a golden ticket into their desired institutions. If the issue of grade inflation persists, students and post-secondary institutions both would be trapped in a vicious cycle; high schools continue to inflate the students' grades while universities and colleges continue to raise their admission grades accordingly. To solve this problem, secondary schools should restrict the number of As that can be given and post-secondary institutions should add entrance exams to their admission process. It is necessary for both levels of education to work together to tackle this issue, and to "deflate" the grades to what the student deserves. The effects of grade inflation can be clearly seen by statistics collected every year. According to professor James Côté at Western University, Ontario high school graduates with an A average increased from 40 to 60 percent from 1980 to 2007 (Schwartz, 2013). ... ... middle of paper ... ...en more prominent in school across Canada. High school grades are starting to become an inaccurate assessment of a student's knowledge. This is a result a lack of restrictions on the grading system, students competing to get in difficult entry institutions and teachers being too lenient about their grading. In the long run this issue would transform into a cycle that results in universities and colleges toughening their entrance requirements even more and higher grade inflation. This issue must be eliminated or at least minimized, by using solutions like entrance exams for admission into post-secondary institutions or capping the amount of As that can be distributed in high schools. It is important for students to head into the career field that they are suited for and would excel at, rather than blindly entering rigorous programs with their inflated report cards.

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