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Cristopher Mallory-Coble
English 112
Shannon Lewis
31 July 2016
Grade Inflation
Grade inflation is a rising problem in academia in the United States. In short, grade
inflation is the over-saturation of high grades. Brenda Sonner, showed an example of grade
inflation in her article, “A is for ‘Adjunct’, “… cited research finding that only 10% to 20% of all
college students receive grades lower than B-. This means, of course, that between 80% and 90%
of all college students receive grades of either A or B!” What is the point of working hard in my
class when I know that I can get an easy A? The professor-student relationship in higher
education has changed. It is no longer the professor’s expectations of excellence from her
students. Rather, students are expecting a high grade from the professor just for coming to class.
This impacts the value of our education system in the United States.
The student feedback on teachers was recently addressed in the article “Against Grade
Inflation”, the world’s most highly cited interdisciplinary science journal, “… they rapidly
became a favoured tool of deans, tenure and promotion committees because they were
quantifiable. Now there is an implicit understanding that if instructors give good grades, they
will not be judged too severely by students.” Knowing that a professor’s career could be on the
line because of negative feedback from disgruntled students can, and has, affect the grades given
to students; in some instances, just to keep students happy. There are factors that cause grade
inflation: student’s instant and easy access to professors results in constant student negotiation
for better grades; parents who connect their high tuition payment to equaling high grades for
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their child; and the adjunct professor, unlike the full time professor, may seek job security by
ensuring student satisfaction with their grades. However, there are factors against grade
inflation: the students are smarter; smaller classrooms lead to better grades; less rigorous
academic programs; and grading is not equal among departments. With plenty of arguments for
both sides no one is attempting to address the elephant in the room. The rise of grade inflation is
devaluing our education in the United States.
There is a complete and total pressure on teachers and professors to give their students
good grades. Students, professors and even attentive “decision makers” are aware of this
pressure. One key driver of this pressure is the use of student feedback, surveys and evaluation
tools to measure teacher performance, and sometimes pay. Students talk about their professors:
plain and simple. The primary topic is often this question, “How did you like your professors,
