蜜桃影视

This is the latest article in 蜜桃影视鈥檚 ongoing 鈥�Big Picture鈥� series, bringing American education into sharper focus through new research and data. Go Deeper: See our full series.

Grade inflation 鈥� the phenomenon of large numbers of students receiving ever-higher grades in class, regardless of how much they鈥檝e actually learned 鈥� is more prevalent in higher-income schools than less affluent ones, according to research released today by the Fordham Institute.聽Many聽pupils who received passing grades nevertheless failed to score proficient on their end-of-course exam for the same subject, the author found.

was authored by Seth Gershenson, an education economist at American University. Fordham is a reform-oriented think tank that has issued warning against false notions of academic success聽common among American students.

The undeniable trend toward grade inflation has raised concerns in recent years, with high school graduation rates soaring around the country even as students make no comparable progress on benchmark tests like the National Assessment of Educational Progress. In a few high-profile examples,聽swaths of high schoolers have been granted diplomas despite falling far short of their schools鈥� academic and attendance requirements.

Previous studies 鈥� including from College Board analyst Michael Hurwitz 鈥� have also pointed toward steadily rising average high school grades occurring alongside stagnant SAT scores, and noted that the problem is particularly evident in wealthier schools. But critics have pushed back, arguing that organizations like the College Board (which owns the SAT) have an interest in maintaining the supremacy of college entrance exams. GPA, they assert, tends to be an accurate predictor of academic success in college.

Unlike the College Board report, which relied heavily on data from students who had taken the SAT (and who were therefore somewhat less representative of typical students, many of whom do not take the exam), Gershenson gathered student-level data for more than a million North Carolina students聽enrolled in an Algebra 1 course between 2005 and 2016. Since that subject is accompanied by a mandatory end-of-course (EOC) exam, it provided a good vantage onto the divergence between course grades and test scores.

While students who scored high on the EOC exam tended to also earn a high course grade, Gershenson found that the reverse was not always true. Just 21 percent of students who received an A and 3 percent who received a B ended up earning a 鈥渟uperior鈥� designation (the exam鈥檚 highest proficiency level). One-third of students who earned B grades failed to score proficient, according to the exam鈥檚 standards.

In an interview with 蜜桃影视, Gershenson explained that false impressions of proficiency, even if delivered with good intentions, can be damaging if they instill undue complacency among students and parents.

鈥淎lgebra 1 is an important class in that it鈥檚 a gateway to the next math sequence,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you get a passing grade on your report card even though you鈥檙e failing to master the material … you鈥檙e not going to go out of your way to get more study time or tutoring or help to get caught up. And as a result, you move on to the next stage of your educational career set up to struggle.鈥�

Even more striking, not all students鈥� grades are inflating at the same rate. In the period Gershenson measured, GPA rose by an average of .27 points in affluent schools, compared with just .17 points in those that were less affluent. Not only does that provide an edge to already advantaged students, it could also amplify the disparity in expectations and confidence between middle-class students and their low-income peers, who are to apply to selective colleges even if their transcripts and test scores merit it.

Higher-income schools are likelier to feature college counselors and pushy parents willing to ask a teacher to consider raising C-pluses to Bs and Bs to As. According to Stuart Rojstaczer, a writer and former academic who has focused heavily on grade inflation in both K-12 and higher education, less fortunate parents may not have the same bandwidth.

鈥淢any [wealthy] parents have been trying to game the education system for future career advantages since their children were toddlers,鈥� he told 蜜桃影视 in an email. 鈥淭hey certainly aren鈥檛 going to stop doing that in high school. Parents without wealth don鈥檛 usually have the time, energy, or resources to game the education of their children for future career advantages.鈥�

Even experts concerned about grade inflation agree that GPA is a worthwhile indicator of student achievement. It is generally believed that grades and test scores measure distinct attributes: While scores more aptly capture subject mastery and cognitive skill, grades give a broader picture that includes diligence, attendance, and participation.

Jack Buckley, a senior vice president at the American Institutes for Research and a former College Board staffer who helped revise the SAT several years ago, agreed that the two metrics were actually complementary. Still, he said, the 鈥渋nflation gap鈥� along the income curve is concerning.

鈥淗igh school grades right now, on average, are as good a predictor as college entrance exams of your success in college,鈥� he said in an interview. 鈥淲hen you use both of them together, you鈥檒l do a better job of predicting college success. I do think, though, that … the fact that it seems to benefit certain types of students and families disproportionately … calls into question the long-term predictive power of grades, and it鈥檚 something that admissions people at selective schools should at least be monitoring.鈥�

Though he acknowledges the value of course grades, Gershenson concluded that grade inflation is indeed a cause for worry. The false signals, he said, were too pernicious to ignore.

鈥淭hese are real issues that are sending real signals to parents and principals and school counselors and teachers about what kids are excelling at or need help with. And when those signals are wrong, everyone with a stake in a child鈥檚 success 鈥� including the child 鈥� can make not-so-great decisions about how they allocate their time.鈥�

Disclosure: Kevin Mahnken was an editorial associate at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute from 2014 to 2016.

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