There is a widespread belief in education circles that the grades that students “earn” in college (and also in graduate school) may not represent the level of academic achievement that they once did.  Observers of K12 education in Arkansas have been paying attention to this issue for a while.  Indeed, our state has published a few “grade inflation” reports (first in 2005) in which researchers have identified schools where many students would earn A’s in their coursework but would nonetheless earn low marks on the state’s End-of-Course (EOC) exams in the same subject.  The most recent “grade-inflation” report identified many Arkansas schools where the students’ grades in Geometry and Algebra simply did not match up to their performance on the standardized assessments.

Source: Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy

The Economix blog on the New York Times web site today highlights this problem in higher education.  It turns out that, over time, students in college are far more likely to earn A’s, or at least professors are far more likely to give A’s, than in previous years.  The blog is highlighting the work of two authors —  Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy — who have been studying the concept of grade inflation for years.

It seems clear, from the data provided by the authors and illustrated in some neat graphs over at the Economix site, that it is becoming easier to get an A.  Should this bother us? Well, according to the authors, as grading standards may become even looser in the coming years, it will become increasingly difficult for graduate schools and employers to distinguish between excellent, good and mediocre students.  This seems to be problematic.

More disturbing, they argue, are the potential deleterious effects on educational outcomes from these declining standards and expectations.

“When college students perceive that the average grade in a class will be an A, they do not try to excel. It is likely that the decline in student study hours, student engagement, and literacy are partly the result of diminished academic expectations.”