Inflation of the Grading System in American Learning Institutions Compared to European Institutions

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Inflation of the Grading System in American Learning Institutions Compared to European Institutions
Grade inflation, the tendency for a learning institution to award more A and B grades than C’s and D’s has become an issue of great concern in the U.S. education system. Study reports indicate that the grading in American institutions is greatly inflated. Critics of this trend argue that inflation is harmful to the education system because:
It makes superior performance to lose value and become less desirable
It creates ambiguity between average and high achievers because it is difficult to differentiate the two given the high number of A and B grades.
It creates complications across major learning institutions in the ranking of students’ performance.
In view of these concerns, and other studies indicating that U.S. students perform poorly in test scores compared to their Asian and European counterparts, it is clear that the American education system is losing in terms of quality. This suggests the need to implement educational reforms to make American education more valuable both domestically and internationally. This paper provides an annotated bibliography of previous studies and published articles that address this issue.
Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.Profiles of American Colleges 2013. New York:
Barrons Educational Series, Inc. 2014.Print.
This article provides a list of American colleges that do not administer standard tests before admitting students. It labels such colleges “test optional” or “test flexible” because they do not emphasize the use of standard tests before accepting high school graduates seeking college admission (Barron’s Educational Series 1). The author suggest that the failure to use SAT and ACT tests when admitting high school graduates is the first sign of the flexible grading system that will be applied when they finish college, hence the high number of A and B grades that do not necessarily reflect the college graduates’ true competencies.
Doyle, Lesley, Houston, Muir, and Osborne, Mike. Grading: A Review of National and
International Issues. University of Stirling, Scotland: PASCAL International Observatory and Institute of Education, 2007. Print.
This source critically evaluates the accuracy of using a linear number or letter to describe learners’ non-linear skills and abilities. The letter grading system poses a problem when interpreting the assigned score to determine a learner’s competence. For instance, awarding an A means that the student is exceptional and has mastered all the content of the subject or course in question. However, this assumption ignores the fact that exams or tests do not test everything. Although this source does not tackle the issue of grade inflation directly, it provides a good perspective for understanding the extent of damage caused by grade inflation. Considering that a student who deservedly gets an A does not know everything in a subject, assigning an A to a student who does not deserve it greatly compromises the quality of education. It is a situation where an average student is falsely passed on as an A student, resulting in an education system that produces half-baked graduates who do not possess the relevant knowledge and skills.
Carnoy, Martin, and Rothstein, Richard.What Do International Tests Really Show about
U.S. Student Performance? H Street NW, Washington: Economic Policy Institute. 2014. Print.
The authors of this article present a conflicting view regarding the poor performance of American learners in test scores. They observe that conclusions “drawn from international test comparisons” are misleading because they do not reflect the American learning environment and grading system, and “may lead policymakers to pursue inappropriate and harmful reforms” (Carnoy and Rothstein 6). Their argument suggests that there is no connection between grade inflation and poor performance of American learners in international test scores. The authors’ position provides a necessary critique for the push to reform education in the U.S, and makes this question an ideal one for more debate and further research.
Cavanagh, Sean. “U.S. Education Pressured by International Comparisons.” Education Week.
January 9, 2012. Web. Accessed April 23, 2014 < /ew/articles/2012/01/12/16overview.h31.html>
This source provides a critical view of the American approach to classroom instruction, which focuses on making thing easier for learners. The author implies that the issue of grade inflation in the U.S. is part of the American educational culture which encourages teachers to assist learners all the way. Awarding inflated grades is a continuation of the classroom spoon-feeding of learners. The writer compares the classroom instruction approach in Japanese and American schools. He notes that in Japanese schools, learners are left to struggle with problems until they find a solution. In the U.S., such an approach will be considered torturing of learners. This view suggests that addressing the problem of grade inflation should involve transforming the educational culture with respect to classroom instruction. The source will enrich the research by analyzing the learning culture that encourages grade inflation.
Goodwin, Brian. Research Says / Grade Inflation: Killing with Kindness?” Journal of
Effective Grading Practices, 2011, 69 (3): 80-81. Print.
This author offers good background information on the origin of inflated grading in America. He reveals that the trend began as far back as the late 19 century, when Harvard University adopted the letter grade in the 1880s to evaluate student achievement. The article highlights the systems’ weaknesses in measuring learner achievement by stating that “in the present practice Grades A and B are sometimes given too readily—Grade A for work of no very high merit, and Grade B for work not far above mediocrity" (Lewis 2006, quoted in Goodwin 80). This suggests that the quality of higher education in America has deteriorated to worrying levels as to warranty research on the problem and implementation of relevant reforms.
Kohn, Alfie. “The Case Against Grades.” Educational Leadership. November, 2011. Accessed
April 24, 2014< /teaching/tcag.htm>
This source is very significant because Kohn is a renowned critic of standardized tests and the grading system used in schools to rank learners. In this a...