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Maritza Cisneros

Professor James Frost

English 1301-29

13 October 2017

Grade Inflation

In the article, “The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation,” Alfie Kohn explains the myth of

grade inflation, the upward shift in student grade point averages without a similar shift in

achievement, and the dangers that come with it. The debate of grade inflation is often

accompanied by “political correctness,” a phrase that can justify an objection to a topic without

providing reason for the objection. By providing a variety of examples and perspectives from

both sides of the grade inflation debate, Kohn shuts down the myth of grade inflation and brings

up a new argument that the real problem institutions are facing begins with having a grading

system at all.

Alfie Kohn begins this article by explaining grade inflation and how difficult it is to

provide competent evidence that although grades are rising student performances are not. He

uses the example from Levine and Cureton’s “When Hope and Fear Collide” report since it

shows that more undergraduates from 1993 said they received A’s than those undergraduates

from 1969. Kohn explains that this report is not the most reliable because it is based on self-

reports of other students who do not always care to return their surveys much less fill out the

survey truthfully.
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According to Kohn, one of the most accurate ways to compare the rising of grades is by

looking at official student transcripts which was done by Clifford Adelman. Adelman reviewed

transcripts from over 3,000 institutions and saw no significant increase in grades. So, even if

grades are higher now that does not mean that they are inflated since students do not have to take

as many classes outside of their interest, they can now drop a class before a poor grade affects

their GPA, etc.

Kohn then addresses Henry Rosovsky’s article “Evaluation and the Academy: Are we

doing the right thing?” Rosovsky, the former dean of Harvard, presents the following arguments:

SAT scores have dropped during the same period grades have risen, more students are being

required to take remedial courses, and states are adding more standardized tests for public

universities. Kohn first responds to the SAT argument by explaining that the overall SAT scores

may have dropped, but individual subject scores have increased. He goes on to explain that the

remedial courses are helping students learn as the students who took those courses now have

more A’s than B’s and C’s. He responds to the last argument by stating that political reasons can

be blamed for the adding of standardized tests in public universities, such as Raegan’s

exaggerated “Nation at Risk” report.

The final point in Kohn’s article deals with how the mindset that a professor’s job is to

sort out students is ineffective and how competitive grading policies are hindering student

progression. Competitive grading policies cause institutions to look at who’s beating who instead

of focusing on how students are doing individually. This is where the common confusion that

quality learning is equal to difficulty will result in excellence. Tougher grading results in short

term success while long term effects are insignificant or nonexistent. Competitive grading proves
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to be the most ineffective in the medical and law fields as grades and test scores do not predict

career success.

Despite Kohn’s strong arguments, there are still no answers to certain questions about

grade inflation. For example, why are grades rising when student achievement is not? Why are

states starting to add more requirements to public universities if not an attempt to regulate grade

inflation? Grade inflation is the perfect answer to these questions which is why those opposed to

it are fighting and keeping the debate alive.

I enjoyed how Kohn discusses a variety of components that come into play in this grade

inflation debate. One of them being how those who believe grade inflation is a terrible thing tend

to be conservative individuals or come from conservative groups. He raises multiple questions

such as, why is someone so angry that someone else somewhere received an A without earning

it? By raising questions like this Kohn brings out a new argument. Why is the worry centered

around grade inflation and not grades themselves? Why must students be graded in the first

place? Why are they not allowed to simply demonstrate what it is they know? Kohn brings out

the new argument that grade inflation is not the real problem, the real problem is the presence of

a grading system.

Studies have yet to prove that the A’s students are receiving today are equivalent to the

B’s and C’s students received in the past. Although the world students grow up in is constantly

evolving, the grading system has remained the same. This is because the myth of grade inflation

is allowing institutions to continue their competitive grading policies for decades without

consequence. The only thing students need to demonstrate is that they are understanding the

material, not that they understand it better than their classmates.