In “The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation”, Alfie Kohn explores the phenomenon behind grade inflation. Whether it is complaints or just the general idea that such an undesired occurrence has routinely taken place, Kohn certainly explores them all. He begins with addressing that the issue has not just transpired, but has been in existence over time as many have complained periodically. As Kohn notes on page 261, grade inflation is recognized as a poor occurrence, yet Kohn reveals the struggle as “truly substantive issues surrounding grades and motivation have been obscured or ignored.” Why is this so? Kohn goes on to explore the issue through some evidence and research, but finds that while grades have become higher more recently than before, that still does not prove inflation exists behind the rise in grades (261). By this Kohn reveals a trend to the reader with the facts, or lackthereof, behind grade inflation.
The issues present are conflicting as Kohn explores further research and finds both
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However, he paints his sources in his favor and seemed to highlight his view and discredit grade inflation all too frequently. By including a source in which he completely discredits the subject of that source, he decreases the credibility in which he crafted this essay’s argument(s). Other than the words written, it is hard to say if he should be trusted as an authority with not knowing his background. However, yes, his words do seem feasible rather than far-fetched, even if he does craft the essay in his favor. I was persuaded to believe that grade inflation is a sham by the way Kohn crafted his arguments, but I also have some doubts due to the opposing evidence Kohn included. Previously I believed there was some truth to grade inflation, but Kohn does an efficient job of discrediting any previous complaints concerning the
To counter the constant negativity, he also exemplifies solutions for fixing grade inflation. For example, Brent Staples references Valen Johnson’s proposal for a grade point average reform that accounts the selected major into the grade point average system (389). With this example, the reform will significantly decrease the median grade point average and reward those who achieve high grades in courses related to their respective major. Behind this positive message, Brent Staples still criticizes college administrators for prioritizing their public image over a legitimate grading system without the complaining tone in the majority of his essay. Furthermore, Brent Staple’s examples do solve an actual issue and not a phantom problem. In 1975 alone, there was over tens times more bachelors in psychology than there were available jobs for them (Bird 424). Because the current grading system allows for counterfeit grade point averages, there are an excessive number of psychology bachelors. Brent Staples provided solutions because this issue proves his criticisms in
In his article "Making the Grade," Kurt Wiesenfeld presents a problem regarding the ethical value of grades in modern society. A physics professor, Wiesenfeld opens the article by making the "rookie error" of being in his "office the day after final grades were posted." (paragraph 1) Several students then attempt to influence him to change their grades for the class. What concerns Wiesenfeld is that many of his more recent students consider a grade to be a negotiable commodity rather than accept the grade as an accurate representation of efforts and performance and how much they learned. The author indicates that part of this
Schools and college professors, who give you a good grade for excellent productivity on assignments, allow students to perform poorly, but still benefit relative to a person with an A. Two articles that observe grade inflation, find the rising problems of grade inflation, and finding solutions for grade inflation. Stuart Rojstaczer, an author from Grade Inflation Gone Wild, is a professor of geophysics at Duke university, and created gradeinflation.com in regards for his concern about grade inflation. On the other hand, Phil Primack is a journalist and teacher at Tufts University, and published in the “Boston Globe” Doesn’t Anybody Get a C Anymore? While college students, who work with little effort and still attain easy A’s by working poorly on assignments and exams, Primack and Rojstaczer, develop a firm connection towards grade inflation and the solution that can regain control over real education.
The main topic of the article is how grade inflation is not helping students and is a detriment
Happy Thursday, what a great article you choose to analyze. Just reading what you choose for the each term, the information looks to just fell in place. Not like the article I choose I had to read and reread to find each term. Grade inflation is a great problem that iI seen with some high school students. Only in the end the student is the one suffering on finding to study better to receive a true earned grade. I completely agree with you about the Turnitin out come the few Quotes used will cut down on the similarity match.
When researching the topic of grade inflation, one begins to detect a multitude of problems, such as the effects it holds on the students and teachers, and the deflating value of grades themselves. These issues have been long ignored and continue to disrupt our educational system. Mark Oppenheimer shares the same point of view in his article, “There’s Nothing Wrong With Grade Inflation,” where he discussed his opinion, that grade inflation is one of the much lesser issues and that we need to focus on more pressing matters. Meanwhile, others such as Rojstaczer hold strong counter arguments. He argues that grade inflation is becoming an out of control issue that we should focus on fixing.
Tending to the upsides and drawbacks of grade inflation, students, parents and so forth in the structure now need to be concerned and address these issues. Students are being pushed out of school and need to understand that fortune five hundred associations are not in the matter of planning worker's; they have to get past the gateway knowing how to form that business recommendation for a multi-million-dollar
Throughout schools, there is a debate about grade inflation and if it accurately determines the competency level of the student based on the grade that they have received. The answer to this question like any subject depends on who is asked. To employers the answer is mostly no, “How can we distinguish the best from the adequate?” If you ask the average student, the answer usually is yes, “Even though I did not originally earn that B, I performed with the top twenty percent of the class”. There are some drawbacks to the system, but overall the concept behind it follows normally occurring trends in the population of students. This is called norm-referenced grading. So if something follows normal trends in a population, there should not be
Some students might not try as hard as they could for grades because they know they will get a good grade.
Grade inflation and the state of student’s GPA average are being raising questions about American colleges and universities standards. Grades, given to students, have always been and will always part of the education system. Even though grades shouldn’t be the motive that student have. Grades do have an important purpose and it is to measure how well a student has proven his/her comprehension of course material. Grades are not the only thing that tells the whole story. Larger lecture courses with “a letter grade often fails to account for the intangibles” (The Chronical Jan,2015) such as a student’s progress with intelligence. Grades are not a positive measurement between what student can produce and the good that is. Yet students are potentiality venerable by grade inflation. As extremely high grades are progressively expected, GPAs will eventually become an ungraspable number placed on a
Grade inflation is not uniform between schools. This places students in more stringently graded schools and departments at an unfair disadvantage, unless employers take into account a school 's ranking.
According to, Grade Inflation in the College Classroom, “Students are paying more for a college education every year, and increasingly they are demanding the reward of a good grade for their purchase” (Tucker, Courts 2). The expectations that the students have going into college are telling of how consumerism is tarnishing higher education. Consumerism affects students’ grades, according to, Grade Inflation in the College Classroom, students are not studying as much as students in the past and their grades are still on a rise. This shift in focus by the university causes the classes to become less intense creating a more mediocre education for the students. This harms students who will have to face the problem of entering the workforce with an inferior education. Studies have shown that, “Many students feel that lower grades can significantly damage their opportunities to gain employment after attending a university […] it may be difficult to compete with a near straight-A student from a university that has shown grade inflation, if one's grades are lower. Many believe that grade inflation gives certain students an unfair advantage in the job market or when applying to graduate schools” (Tucker, Courts 2). If one student goes to a school that is known for a certain subject and graduates with a good grade point average, they could lose the
1st Body Paragraph: First of all, the grading system is notorious for hurting instead of helping students eagerness to learn. For example, in Alfie Kohn’s article of “The Case Against Grades”, Kohn mentions that “In one experiment, students told they'd be graded on how well they learned a social studies lesson had more trouble understanding the main point of the text than did students who were told that no grades would be involved.” This experiment that proved how implementing grades would otherwise decrease a student's performance, it emphasizes the fact that grades are hurting students understanding. Adding on, students are in fact more eager to learn without grades. In Kohn’s article, one teacher recalls “Without grades, I think my relationships with students are better”. “Their writing
According to Rojstaczer’s website, grade inflation began in the Vietnam era. Before the war, C’s were the most grades on college campuses. But once the war began, professors felt pressure to give male students better grades to prevent them from failing school and being eligible in the draft.
Grades have served to dehumanize students. Instead of being seen as full, complete beings they are reduce to A students, C students, and students failing the class. This judgment is not only made by their teachers but by society as a whole. Parents often set standards for what their kids grades need to be and punish them if they don’t reach the mark. Friends and classmates compare the results of tests and report cards, making learning into a competition where some are “better” than others. Additionally, and perhaps the most disturbingly, for some students, grades become a reflection of their own worth.