The Problem of Grade Inflation

The Problem of material body swellingGrade Inflation Is A the unused C?Quinn, my 9-year-old stepson played on a little league baseb all told team. He att terminateed nigh of the practices and played in all the games. I asked whiz day who win the game today? He come forbiddened to his father for the answer. I asked, doesnt he recognize if his team won? It seems that this little league bent the rules of baseball. Well, they didnt in force(p) tress the rules they made up their own rules making sure all the players played, no atomic number 53 struck out, five runs and the other team was up you nurture my drift. Then to top it glum they held a party at the end of the season where every hotshot received a trophy. I was frankly appalled. Being rewarded just for participation.The preponderance of nonice pretension is effecting students, professors and institutions. Students be receiving steep vagabonds than earned. A has sound the new C. If our raisingal system is fai ling to chump appropriately for science of k todayledge that students supposedly ar at that place to gain, then what does it all hateful? It would seem suitable to comp atomic number 18 it to giving every person on a sport team a trophy just for participating. It is a deceptive practice and ethically wrong to bound a tick off when it truly is not achieved no matter what the reason. The purpose of this argument on grade ostentation is to convince students, professors, p atomic number 18nts and institutions that the practice of grade inflation essential stop. Everyone is affected by the strength or weakness and by the back withalthdor or unjust attri howeveres of our educational system. Grade Inflation has many repercussions. Students receiving high grades make it difficult to discern the come student from the above aver era student from the exceptional student.Problem abridgmentIn my look, I consume found educators agreeing that grade inflation is a problem. Over the past decades claims of grade inflation in American higher education have been ubiquitous, with hefty evidence documenting its prevalence and severity (Arnold 2004 Summary Weber 2012 Carter Lara, 2016, p. 346). As give tongue to by Rojstaczer 2003, The data indicate that not only is C an imperil species but that B, once the most popular grade at universities and colleges, has been supplanted by the former symbol of perfection, the A (p. A21)It is most-valuable to note the causes of grade inflation in the first place. As stated by Rojstaczer and Healy (2010), Faculty attitudes close t all(prenominal)ing and grading underwent a profound shift that coincided with the Vietnam War (see graphical record below). Many professors, certainly not all or even a majority, became convinced that grades were not a useful alikel for motivation, were not a valid means of evaluation and created a harmful authoritarian surroundings for learning. Added to this shift was a real-life exigency. In the 1960s, full- era male college students were exempt from the armed forces draft. If a male college student flunked out, chances were that he would end up as a soldier in the Vietnam War, a highly unpopular difference of opinion on a deadly battlefield. Partly in response to ever-changing attitudes about the nature of teaching and partly to ensure that male students maintain their full-time status, grades rose rapidly. Then on that point seemed to be a tranquillize in grade inflation until the 1980s when grades began to rise again. A new ethos had developed among college leaders. Students were no longer thought of as acolytes searching for knowledge. or else they were customers (Rojstaczer Healy, 2010). Note. Reprinted from Grade Inflation at American Colleges Universities, by Rojstaczer, S.Two of the to a greater extent frequently cited sources of grade inflation be power status and faculty evaluations foyer (2011 p.146). Professors at some institutions are dependent on solid evaluations from students. If the evaluations are not favorable and grades are low, then the teacher conk outs suspect. entirely stated, the higher the course grade, the happier the student, and the higher the ratings on the faculty evaluations completed by those students planetary house (2011). Motivating the student wrenchs an turn up when the common grade is A. I found support that it becomes extremely difficult for professors to grade honestly because it can be viewed as a sign of short quality education by the professor, his ratings go down and consequently enrollment in the institutions in future years will suffer.In an article by Stroebe (2016), he discusses grading leniency encouraged by universities. Evidence is presented that the positive affiliation between student grades and their evaluation of teaching reflects a bias rather than teaching effectiveness (p. 800). This cyclic process has only resulted in much problems. Poor student performance in subseq uent courses tend to become apparent. Stroebe, a professor in the department of social and organizational psychology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands deliberates the public opinion that grading leniency or grade inflation is likely to demotivate students. He presents that students overestimate the amount they learn based on the grade they receive.Institutions are at fault here as well and may be the one of the biggest proponents to perpetuating the vicious circle. As Hall (2012) explains in her article, institutional interests in any case tend to have a significant impact on the prevalence of grade inflation in higher education. With more and more cuts to educational funding, many colleges and universities meet themselves struggling to balance their budgets. Students who are happy with their grades are students who are much more likely to remain enrolled thereby make full classroom seats and stipendiary tuition fees (p. 147).An issue that has revealed itself in my res earch is academic entitlement. The attitude of many of the students today is that they have the undecomposed since they are the procurers. (Hall, 2012 p.148). Thought provoking questions are asked by researchers as to the reasons of academic entitlement. As Greenberger, Lessard, Chen Farruggia (2008) ask, What are the circumstances that foster the behavior and attitudes of academic self-entitlement i.e., expectations of high rewards for modest effort, expectations of special con brassration and accommodation by teachers when it comes to grades, and impatience and yellow bile when their expectations and perceived needs are not met? (p. 1194).Rebuttal against grade inflationThen there are those with opposing viewpoints that grade inflation is nonexistent. As Kohn (2002) states, Even where grades are higher now as compared with then, that does not take shape proof that they are inflated. The burden rests with critics to controvert that those higher grades are undeserved, and one c an cite any number of alternative explanations. Maybe students are turning in better assignments. Maybe instructors used to be too stingy with their marks and have become more reasonable. Maybe the construct of assessment itself has evolved, so that today it is more a means for allowing students to demonstrate what they know rather than for sorting them or catching them out (p. B8)My rebutter is that over the years attitudes have changed not only of the students, the professors and the institutions. Institutions are not just concerned in being the best in providing education, they are not interested in the education business, they are interested in the business of education. Simply put how to make the most money. Professors are interested in keeping their jobs by keeping institutions happy with them. If they give poor grades institutions will think that their teaching ability is poor and students, since they are paying for their education, feel entitled to get good grades or they ma y give their instructor an unfavorable evaluation.My interview was with a young physician who went to undergrad school in 2001 then on to medical school, a mansion house program and an internship. She is currently a practicing physician in a lifesize group practice. One of my reasons for the choice of interviewee is that in the line graph illustrated antecedently she falls in the time when A is the most popular grade given nationwide. I formulated my line of questions only to be side railed by the very first question When you were in college, were you aware of grade inflation practices? Her answer was no. Well, I continued, there are quite a few articles written about grade inflation and how habitual it has become. It has been steadily increasing over the last twenty years. Have you keep that your grades were inflated? She indignantly said, absolutely not I worked my butt off for every grade I got the conversation continued as I strove to gain some glimmer of grade inflation r ecognition. Have you bob up any fellow students getting As that did not put in an A effort? The answer was no all the students I was with were profound working and deserved the grades they received.After the unexpected denial or ignorantness of grade inflation could my interviewee fit into the category of entitlement? I decided that it was a case of a hard-working student with drive, motivation and determination to receive the grades that she deserved. She grew up in a time of entitlement, and yes, she does exhibit some of those qualities but she kit and caboodle hard to this day. She may have grown up in the age of entitlement but she is a child of achievement. I would know since she is my daughter.SolutionHall (2012), Argues that in the fight against grade inflation what is lacking are the primary principles of instructional design. There is no framework in place in institutions for measures to prevent grade inflating propensities and actions. Anyone who investigates the so urces of grade inflation will ultimately find themselves pointed in the direction of the students themselves. The attitude of many of the students today is that they have the right since they are the procurers. (Hall, 2012 p.148)My experience with attending Chamberlain College for Nursing is that the courses are set up to allow the professors to grade honestly. The grading rubric is beneficial to the student who now knows exactly what is expected of him or her. It makes it a more accusing approach to grading. As Kelly (2017) describes, Here are three reasons why I find rubrics truly effective. First, rubrics save time because I can simply look at your rubric and mark off points. Second, rubrics keep me honest, even when Ive had a horrible day . I feel much more objective as I sit before my mountain of papers. More important than these two reasons, however, is that when I have created a rubric beforehand and shown it to my students I get better quality work. They know what I want. They can similarly see right away where they lost points (p. 1)BenefitsI agree with Hall in her analysis of grade inflation. I can see that there are many facets that are all contributing to the problem. Solving one issue will not resolve the problem. Grade Inflating practices are fundamentally wrong. It involves a faculty member to award a grade that is higher than earned. Although it is recognized as being an issue, the inappropriate conduct continues. Hall not only describes the various causes and the rationale why grade inflation continues, but she offers a framework that consists of a different approach to combating the problem with limited objectives, instruction and assessment. It sounds very much like the grading rubric. According to Stevens and Levi (2005), At its most basic, a rubric is a scoring tool that lays out the specific expectations for an assignment. Rubrics divide an assignment into its component parts and provide a detailed description of what constitutes acce ptable or unacceptable levels of performance for each of those parts (p.3)ConclusionIn conclusion, with instructors lowering their grading standards, A has become the most ordinary grade on college campuses. Its like buying a dozen eggs with medium, large, extra-large and jumbo all mixed in one carton. With no true evaluation of students performance, you dont know what youre getting. Students have a sensation of entitlement that parents and the environment we live in have fostered over time. Students expect an A with minimal effort. This can be demotivating and discouraging for students who truly give it their all. When there are no guidelines or enforced regulation of grades, the grades given in higher education will have less and less meaning. Its time to stop giving trophies just for participation.ReferencesAd Hoc Committee on Grade Inflation. Final Report of the Ad Hoc Committee Task Force on Grade Inflation. American University, Washington, DC. (October, 10th, 2016).http//www. american.edu/facultysenate/upload/Senate-report-on-Grade-Inflation-Final-10-20-16.pdf.Arnold, R. A. (2004). Way That Grades are Set is a Mark Against Professors. Los Angeles Times.Los Angeles.Carter, M. J., Lara, P. Y. (2016). Grade Inflation in Higher education Is the ratiocination in Sight? Academic Questions, 29(3), 346-353. Doi10.1007/s12129-016-9569-5Caruth, D., Caruth, G. (2013, January). Grade Inflation an issue for higher education. Turkish Journal of Distance Education. v.14, n. 1, p. 102-110. ISSN ISSN-1302-6488.Fauer, J., Lopez, L. (2009, October). Grade Inflation too much talk too little action. American Journal of blood Education. v.2, n.7.Greenberger, E., Lessard, J., Chen, C., Farruggia, S. (2008). Self-Entitled college students contributions of personality, parenting, and motivational factors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. (April 4th, 2008), 371193-1204. DOI 10.1007/s10964-008-9284-9.Hall, R. A. (2012). A overlook reply to grade inflation in higher education. Global Education Journal, 2012(3), 144-165.Kelly, M. (2017). Creating and Using Rubrics Make Your Life Easier with Rubrics. About Education. (Updated February 03, 2017). http//712educators.about.com/cs/rubrics/a/rubrics.htmKohn, A. (2002). The weighty myth of grade inflation. The Chronicle of Higher Education. November 8th, 2002. 49(11).Rojstaczer S., Healy C. (2016). Where A is ordinary The ontogenesis of American college and university grading. 1940-2009. Teachers College Record, ID Number 15928. http//www.tcrecord.orgRojstaczer, S. (2016). Grade Inflation at American Colleges and Universities. www.GradeInflation.com. (March 29, 2016).Rojstaczer, S. (2003). Where all Grades are Above Average. The Washington Post. January 28, 2003. A21.Stevens, D., Levi, A. (2005). Introduction to Rubrics An Assessment Tool to compose Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback and Promote Student Learning. Stylus Publishing, LLC. Sterling, Virginia.Stroebe, W. (2016). why Good Teaching Evaluations May Reward Bad Teaching. Perspectives on psychological Science, 11(6), p. 800-816. DOI10.1177/1745691616650284Summary, R., Weber, W. (2012). Grade Inflation or productivity Growth? An Analysis of Changing Grade Distributions at a Regional University. Journal of Productivity Analysis 38.95-107.