Grade inflation is a longstanding problem whose seriousness is demonstrated by a wide variety of studies of grade distributions. A few institutions have changed the information on their transcripts in an effort to account for it. Proposals to index grades have been largely unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. A simple index, the Real GPA, is…

College grades play important educational and social roles (Milton, Pollio, and Eison, 1986; Walvoord and Anderson, 1998). What is not well understood are the types of problems that exist in college grading practices. Conversations about grade inflation in higher education are often based on sparse anecdotal evidence and charged with value…

Through an examination of one institution's efforts to strengthen teaching and learning on campus, the author makes a strong case for the use of common examinations as a powerful form of assessment as well as a fruitful context for faculty deliberations. Providing a continuing occasion for faculty inquiry and discussion, insuring grade…

In the light of the uncertainty surrounding the new National Senior Certificate that was written in South African schools for the first time in 2008, this article aims to examine the new Grade 12 National Senior Certificate results quantitatively in the context of the Grade 11 application score for entry into higher education and the Grade 12…

Data from a 1974 national survey of 134 colleges was presented to verify that grade point averages had increased.404 points from 1965 to 1973. Approximately two-thirds of the increase occurred since 1968 and the 1968 to 1970 period showed the highest average annual increments. Essentially, the same pattern and magnitude of change was revealed for…

The effect of grade inflation on the reliability of undergraduate grade point averages at a university was examined. It was shown that there has been some decline in reliability, but this is ameliorated by the use of plus and minus attachments to grades. (JKS)

Probably no group is deceived more often regarding the quality of a product than those who must hire on the basis of degrees and transcripts provided by our colleges and universities. In this market, the buyer must surely beware. (Author)

College-level "grade inflation" may result not from flabby standards but from more effective instructional strategies such as mastery learning. (Author/JM)

Compared grade inflation rates among students of different abilities at an open-admissions public university by examining trends in graduating grade point average from 1983 to 1996. The higher grade inflation rates among low aptitude students suggest that faculty might be using grades to encourage learning among marginal students. (SLD)

Deans from private and public schools of education were surveyed to determine the extent of concern toward grade inflation and to determine the role of various factors as influences on grade inflation. Major causes of this phenomena are explored. (DF)

This study examined the change in term grade point average (GPA) from 1974 through 2004 for 368,282 undergraduate student records at a large, research-extensive university in the Southeast. Descriptive analyses showed an increase in term GPA and average SAT scores over the 31-year period. Although average SAT and GPA increased, standard deviations…

Changes in high school grading standards were evaluated, focusing on mathematics because only in mathematics was it possible to adjust grades to take into account tested achievement. Data are from nationally representative surveys, the High School and Beyond Study, and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Descriptive analyses were…

This material presents, in courtroom style, arguments on grade inflation. However, the authors refrain from giving a final verdict. (Author/MLF)

This year's survey of freshmen entering college shows that their high school grades are higher than ever. There is at least indirect evidence that competence in basic academic skills is on the decline. There appears to be a trend of students selecting fields less demanding of basic academic skills. (BB)

Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould contends that .400 hitter in baseball is thing of past because game has gotten better. The higher average, the harder to stand out from that average. Applies concept to education by comparing students' SAT scores over almost 20 years with grade-point averages. Students with highest grades received highest SAT…