Gradeinflation
GradeInflation
Gradingis defined as a system of applying standard measurement ofachievement in a course. William Farish developed grading at theUniversity of Cambridge in the year 1972. is the actof awarding exaggerated grades for efforts that would otherwisereceive lower grades in normal circumstances. In a study conducted bya team of researchers, it was noted that Grade A is the most inflatedgrade in academic institutions.
Today,with the current advancement in technology, the student’sperformance is much better as compared with the past years, due tobetter preparation of examination aided by the various availabletechnologies such as online books, and research through the internet.Achieving an A grade requires the collective effort of the studentand the tutor, hence limiting the number of A grade in institutionsto 35% would demoralize and render both the students as well as theTutors efforts useless. This move would also pass wrong message tothe students and employees that the institution grading criteria isnot based on merit rather than a policy adopted by theadministration. Technology has enhanced every sector including Healthand Education. In the past students relied on the tutors notes andprinted outdated textbooks making it very hard for students and thelecturers to conduct thorough research. The growth and development oftechnology in the modern world have aid students to attain highergrades than before (Sabot and Wakeman-Linn, 1991). The high rate ofgrade A achieved in our institutions currently is associated withtechnological advancement which has assisted students and lecturersin their researches and studies. It is also evident that mostlearning facilities are adapting technology in their institutions,that has come in handy by helping students learn in a more efficientmanner hence the rise in the number of students with A’s.Limitation of grade A to 35% would undermine the efforts put inensuring students excel in their studies (Johnson, 2006).
Institutionshould conduct a thorough research on grade inflation issue beforeimposing policies that limits the number of grades awarded toundergraduate students. A majority of scholars in the educationsector argue that tutors in the modern institutions have becomesluggish in their jobs, hence tend to inflate the grades of theirstudents. This is a misconception since the lecturers performance isnot judged by the number of a grades attained in a classroom, rathertheir performance is judged by the content and amount of knowledgethat the students possess. Institutions also have a grading policythat all lecturers are supposed to abide by. Hence, it becomesdifficult for instructors to inflate student’s grade. Rather thanlimiting the amount of grade A assigned to students, the institutionshould direct the tutors to assign challenging tasks to theirstudents during an assessment. Assigning of the more arduous taskwould ensure that the academic grade reflects students. (Donaldsonand Gray, 2012).
Thecontinuous trend of people upgrading their education levels hascontributed to an increase in the number of A’s attained bystudents overall. People undertaking training upgrades from theprevious level tend to excel more in their examinations as comparedto students enrolled directly, hence limiting the number of grade Ato 35% would disadvantage a lot of people. Most institution has putin place a policy that ensures the girl child is admitted in aslightly higher ratio than the boy child. The increase in the numberof the girls has significantly increased the number of grades Ascored in academic institutions (Mansfield, 2001).
Today’sworld has changed enormously. The education system has changed, andthere has been an increase in the number of institutions both privateand public offering undergraduate courses. An increase in theseinstitutions has prompted in improvement in the facilities and thesystem that has to make it more convenient for students to performbetter and attain extemporary grades, which in the long term improvesthe quality of education offered. Limiting the number of grade A to35% in an institution would kill the spirit of competition, in thelong run affecting the quality of education in our schools (Zirkel,1999).
Inconclusion limiting the number of grade A in our institutionsoffering undergraduate courses to 35% would promote to the decline ofthe quality of education. Furthermore, restricting the number ofgrade A would kill competition among institutions, subsequentlyleading to the decline of education quality.
References
Sabot,R., & Wakeman-Linn, J. (1991). and coursechoice.TheJournal of Economic Perspectives, 5(1),159-170.
Johnson,V. E. (2006). Gradeinflation: A crisis in college education.Springer Science & Business Media.
Donaldson,J. H., & Gray, M. (2012). Systematic review of grading practice:Is there evidence of grade inflation?. NurseEducation in Practice, 12(2),101-114.
Mansfield,H. C. (2001). : It’s time to face thefacts. Chronicleof Higher Education, 47(30),B24.
Zirkel,P. (1999). : A leadership opportunity for schools ofeducation. TheTeachers College Record, 101(2),247-260.