<p>I have heard many people use this phrase- grade inflation- but I don't really understand what this is...the people talked about how the college or course only gives out a certain amount of As, Bs, etc, so it doesn't matter your grade, it just matters your grade compared to others. So, if you got a 67, but the others got a 50, then you get an A. But, I don't understand this...I think that colleges don't have the right to do that, because I don't care what ANYONE else has, just me. So, can someone explain to me what this grade inflation is?</p>
<p>Regarding grade inflation: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_inflation%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_inflation</a></p>
<p>"So, if you got a 67, but the others got a 50, then you get an A."</p>
<p>This is a very common practice known as grade curving (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grading_curve)%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grading_curve)</a>. While it may seem somewhat unfair (ie all students in a class can have a poor grasp of the material, and some can get A's simply because the knew slightly more than their peers), it is actually essential when profs accidentally make their exams too difficult or too easy. </p>
<p>Perfect example: Last semester I had an insane stats exam. It was definitely one of the hardest exams I have ever written. I didn't even fill in about 10% worth of questions, and was quite sure I got less than 80%. Well, the whole class must have bombed it much worse than I did, because they scaled my final mark up to 100%!</p>
<p>What colleges are known for their grade inflation?</p>
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I have heard many people use this phrase- grade inflation- but I don't really understand what this is...the people talked about how the college or course only gives out a certain amount of As, Bs, etc, so it doesn't matter your grade, it just matters your grade compared to others. So, if you got a 67, but the others got a 50, then you get an A. But, I don't understand this...I think that colleges don't have the right to do that, because I don't care what ANYONE else has, just me. So, can someone explain to me what this grade inflation is?
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<p>So if you got a 67, and everyone else got below a 50, you would rather keep your D than get an A?</p>
<p>Interesting strategy.</p>
<p>Grade inflation doesn't have much to do with grading curves. In fact, grading curves are implemented to counter grade inflation. </p>
<p>The concept of grade inflation is that the average GPA's in college has risen steadily over the past 2 decades or so. In 1980 the average GPA in college was 2.6 or something like that. In 1990 the average GPA rose to 2.8. Now it is above 3.0.</p>
<p>grade inflation and grade curving are very very different. </p>
<p>grade inflation is like when ur school gives out too many A's (or whatever high grade u consider) and the average gpa is like a 3.6 because the classes are so easy.</p>
<p>grade curving is different it's when the teacher base on the class average to give out A, B, C, C, F ... if everyone gets like a 45/100 and 1 person gets 72 (highest in the class) then that person is obviously getting an A according to grade curving. There's not necessary a 90-100% is A 80-90% is B or something like that, it's base on class average.</p>
<p>High school usually have more grade inflation than college. In college grade curving is applied (especially in natural science/engineering) because it would be really hard to get 90-100%. If the normal grade is applied, not that many would get A's.</p>
<p>I think that grade inflation, as it's discussed at the college level, is a matter of how the grades being awarded (or earned) today compare historically with those from the past. At nearly every elite college and univeristy, the average GPA twenty or thirty years ago was substantially lower than it is now. And this means that academic honors like making the deans list or graduating with honors is much more common than before, and many would say, devalues these distinctions.</p>
<p>Part of the upward creep in grades is surely due to a more competitive admissions scene, and thus better students attending top colleges. But many people think that grading has gotten easier, plain and simple. The controversy in higher education has to do with what, if anything, to do about the upward creep in grades.</p>