The History Of College Grade Inflation : The Ascendance Of A
Where A Is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and University Grading, 1940-2009
by Stuart Rojstaczer & Christopher Healy for Teachers College Record
College grades can influence a student’s graduation prospects, academic motivation, postgraduate job choice, professional and graduate school selection, and access to loans and scholarships. Despite the importance of grades, national trends in grading practices have not been examined in over a decade, and there has been a limited effort to examine the historical evolution of college grading. This article looks at the evolution of grading over time and space at American colleges and universities over the last 70 years. The data provide a means to examine how instructors’ assessments of excellence, mediocrity, and failure have changed in higher education.
In Georgia, the HOPE scholarship was responsible for grade inflation. It’s obvious why. Teacher salaries are funded by state and federal subsidies. The subsidies are proportional to enrolled students. If the barriers of entry actually got higher, there would be fewer students enrolled, which means a smaller budget for the school administration. This means lower salaries and fewer teachers. More responsibility.