Grade inflation seems to be a growing trend in universities across America. Are the student's smarter, or are the grades just getting higher? Stuart Rojstaczer author of GradeInflation.com and a professor at Duke University, has compiled data showing that grades at a significant number of universities both public and private are on the rise,
Graph from Gradeinflation.com
some of the worst grade inflation occurring at Ivy league schools. Grade inflation got so bad at Princeton that the school is attempting to implement a plan to reduce the number of A's from 47 percent down to 35 percent. Rostaczer believes grade inflation is a result of the college system becoming more consumer based, that parents think that they are paying for their child to receive A's, and that professor's are feeling that pressure. Alicia Shepard author for the Washington Post and professor at American University, definitely feels the pressure to give out higher grades. In an article title A's for Everyone!, she shared grading horror stories about being harassed by students to have their grades improved almost immediately after posting them. Some of her fellow professors are so afraid of being harassed that they post their grades at the last possible second and then get off campus as quickly as possible. However, the most surprising part of this whole situation, is that the majority of students harassing their professors were B students, she even received one complaint from an A minus student. Some of her colleagues had even been harassed by parents upset with their child's grade. With this new shift to a consumer based view of college, parents are paying not just for their child to go to college, but to do well in college. Many parents will even jump in on behalf of their child when they do less than perfect. With all of the pressures facing professors today it's not hard to see that the grades are just getting higher.
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