Grade Inflation and How to Fix It

          Every student strives for As, and some may think that any grade lower than an A is unacceptable, but what if Bs and Cs were good enough too? If you think about it, a C on the grading scale should be the average grade, a B should be above average, and an A should be excellence. Average school grades across the nation have been constantly increasing over the last few decades, but this isn’t necessarily a good thing. According to Grade Inflation: A Crisis in College Education, 45% of higher education students in 1997 were given As when it was just 10% in the 1960s (Johnson 14). This is the effect of grade inflation, or a rise in the average grades students receive. Higher average grades reward mediocrity, so good grades rarely mean high achievement anymore. Students, teachers, and schools all contribute to grade inflation, which needs to be combatted simultaneously at all education levels so students can have more academic pride in their hard work, and GPAs can more accurately represent student achievement.

          In order to get grades back where they should be, there must be a drastic but simultaneous change across all teaching institutions. If only one school decides to reform its grading policy, the school would appear as if it has many underperforming students in comparison to other schools. That school could face consequences of lower enrollment and less funding due to its new negative reputation. But if every school follows similar grade reform at the same time, then all students will have lowered grades and the competition is still fair. This process begins with teachers seeing the value in giving honest feedback on students’ work in the form of grades. It may appear that awarding higher grades makes students happier, but this is already known to be misleading. If a professor truly cares about the progress of their students, he/she should grade as honestly as possible so students can see that they have room to grow. When students receive honest grades, they can find and learn from their mistakes, as well as get a much better understanding of their academic performance. 

          Overall, inflating grades has not done students any favors over the last few decades. Because of grade inflation, students have become unmotivated and have lost confidence in themselves academically. Even professors have shown diminished morals by assigning higher grades than students deserve. Grades have a purpose other than making students feel they are doing well one hundred percent of the time. Grades should reflect the effort and achievement of students, so they can truly be proud of their grades. Professors who care about the well-being of their students should grade them on their effort and quality, instead of curving grades to make themselves or the students look better on paper. Grade inflation can be controlled by only allowing students to evaluate teachers on their ability to provide quality education. The grade inflation reduction reform has to be universal, and all schools at all levels must accept the new grading policies. Truly successful students can emerge when all schools and faculty cooperate to combat the causes and effects of grade inflation.