The 32nd annual report of national normative data on college freshmen is part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's longitudinal study to assess the effects of college on students. Data are based on 252,082 entering students at 464 of the nation's two- and four-year colleges and universities in Fall, 1997. The normative data are…

Results of a study of the relationship between students' propensities to withdraw from a course and the faculty member's grading in that course show that students do use the option to withdraw from courses when grades tend to be low in order to protect their grade point averages. (JMD)

Inflated college grades reflect an underlying problem: inappropriate content, modes of presentation, and modes of assessment. Many popular assumptions about how to address the question of standards (modifying transcripts, freeing teachers from external pressure, using grades as an indicator of quality) emphasize grades rather than standards.…

This study examined whether conditions affecting intellectual challenge and course difficulty experienced by students were associated with the severity of grading standards. A policy by a university academic unit that reduced the number of high grades awarded by one of its departments provided an opportunity to test a research-based prediction…

It is increasingly recognized, following the lead of J. J. Cannell, that actual gains in educational achievement may be much more modest than dramatic gains reported by many state assessments and many test publishers. An overview is presented of explanations of spurious test score gains. Focus is on determining how test-curriculum alignment and…

Grades of 1982 Clemson graduates in various academic majors were studied. In addition to determining whether grade inflation occurs differentially across majors, the position of education majors was compared to that of other majors. The following 10 majors were assessed: early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education/science…

The downward trend in educational quality, as evidenced by sinking Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and other evaluatory measures, is examined. Both secondary school teachers and university faculty are held accountable for lowering academic standards, and much critical attention is paid to the precipitant implementation of innovative educational…

This publication is part of a series that reprints articles on a range of thematic issues published in the "Canadian Journal of Higher Education." This collection focuses on access to postsecondary education in Canada. After a preface and an introduction, the six papers are: "Studying Part-Time in Canada's Universities: A Social…

A study conducted at Alma College to determine how and why grade inflation occurred is discussed. Grade inflation is seen as being caused by many factors including calendar changes, requirement reductions, better defined grading scales, and shifts in faculty attitudes. (MLW)

A University of Washington study that found professors who are easy graders receive better evaluations than those who are tougher, and another study showing faculty enthusiasm alone raises student evaluations, have shaken a long-standing consensus among researchers that student evaluations are a good measure of a teacher's skills. Most…

Discussion of student assessment at the college level looks at the relationship between grading and student learning and proposes an alternative system in which letter grades would be replaced with a two-part evaluation by the student and teacher. A practical compromise using letter grades is also outlined. (MSE)

This study examined how secondary institutions define and implement institutional academic standards and progress requirements for federal financial aid recipients and how the federal requirements for academic progress affect the distribution of grades at these institutions. The study used a mail survey of a nationally representative sample of 200…

This study analyzed grades for 55 graduate major fields to determine whether or not there are differences in the grading patterns of the various fields. The study population consisted of 7,002 graduate students with 80,011 grades. The study period extended from fall 1970 through fall 1975. Across the range of graduate major fields of study, grades…

A study of academic standards in the Los Angeles Community College District resulted in the identification of a number of problems and issues, as well as recommendations, in areas pertaining to: (1) entering students--pre-enrollment misconceptions, admissions policies, late registration, and choice of courses and programs; (2) attending…

A survey designed to investigate the causes of declining levels of student achievement indicated that (1) there has been an over-use of objective testing, (2) grade inflation is a serious problem, and (3) community colleges may have over-emphasized accommodation of unprepared students and under-emphasized cognitive learning. Recommendations to…