Grade inflation requires careful consideration

By Rice Editorial Staff     11/12/13 6:00pm

The Faculty Senate Working Group on Grade Inflation presented preliminary recommendations to the Student Senate Monday, Nov. 11 meeting (see story, p. 1). While grade inflation may be an issue at Rice University, information on grade distribution and Latin honors are available online for employers and graduate schools. Employers and graduate schools already recognize that GPAs are calculated differently at different institutions and are accustomed to using this information to place grades in context or deflate them as appropriate. Students may also be reluctant to admit grade inflation is a problem, as fixing grade inflation - if indeed it needs to be fixed - would put their own GPAs at risk. For those applying to medical school or law school, changes to grading policies could damage their chances for admission by lowering grades. While this is an ethical issue of its own, it means that students are unlikely to advocate for changes in grading policies. 

The administration, faculty and students alike should be cautious in making a decision on this matter and should first critically evaluate the extent of the problem. The data presented to the Student Senate was incomplete and potentially misleading given the lack of proper numerical labeling of the axes on the graphs presented. Failure to label the y-axis can skew the perception of the magnitude of changes; without a scale, an increase could be on the order of an entire grade point or could be merely a hundredth of a grade point.

While combating grade inflation has its benefits in ensuring Rice students' grades most accurately reflect the quality of their academic work, it is important to consider the potential fallout changes in grading policies could cause. Any measures to address grade inflation should be carefully considered in terms of their potential impact on Rice's collaborative atmosphere. Many of Rice's peer institutions have a far more competitive atmosphere, and the collaborative nature of the Rice community can be an important factor in prospective students' decisions to attend Rice. Combating grade inflation at the expense of this important aspect of the Rice experience would not be a worthy trade-off.

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Further, it is important to consider the differences between schools, between departments, and even between courses within those departments when making decisions regarding grading policies. What works in one context may be inappropriate for another; any policies must take account for this reality.

Ultimately, any decisions regarding grade inflation should involve students throughout the process and at all levels - including in the conversations within each department recommended by the working group. The Faculty Senate has already made an effort to involve students in this discussion, and the Thresher encourages it to continue doing so.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece's author.

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