Hayes 1

Kelly Hayes

Mrs. Walston

AP Language and Composition

6 April 2018

Grade Inflation in North Carolina Public Schools

Teachers in North Carolina public schools hand out A’s like Oprah Winfrey hands out

cars. “You get an ‘A’… and you get an ‘A.’” “A’s,” while they may not be well deserved, are a

protuberant letter in any student’s report card. Due to the allowance of “A’s” to rule the public

school system, Grade Inflation is becoming an ever-growing issue. Grade Inflation is the rising

of grades to the point that everyone looks the same on paper. Littered throughout the North

Carolina public school system, Grade Inflation is an undeniable problem. Since it has become so

prevalent, teachers have become numb, handing out undeserved grades left and right. Grade

Inflation in North Carolina public high schools has made students less ambitious, feel

entitled to receive positive feedback on any work that they submit, and hurts college

admissions boards.
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Grade Inflation in public schools in North Carolina is, in no way, going away. Due to

inaction against the inflation of grades, grades have continued to rise. Grade Inflation is evident

in studies that compare grade point average from earlier to now. According to data from the

Education Department and a survey conducted by College Board, in “High school graduates who

finished from 1998 to 2016, the average high school GPA went from 3.27 to 3.38” (Jaschik).

GPA is grade point average, which is a summation calculated by the strenuousness of a course

and the final grade that the student received in that class, directly relating to the steady increase

in grades. Normally, there should be no change in GPA within 18 years. Furthermore, this drastic

GPA change implies that the teachers are either not grading as hard or the student are smarter,

and the latter makes zero sense. It can be assumed that the latter makes no sense is because

“During the period studied, SAT averages (math and verbal, 1,600-point scale fell from 1,026 to

1,002)” (Jaschik). If the GPAs are rising so quickly, why shouldn’t the SAT scores? SAT scores

should mirror the GPA given, proving that the grades that students are earning in their classes are

not the grades that they deserve. This is evidence of the rising problem of Grade Inflation.

Another problem proliferating public high schools is that it is getting increasingly easier to

obtain “A.” In 2014, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools adopted the 10-point-grading scale.

According to Figure 1.1, 93.3 percent of students like the 10-Point Grading scale compared to

the 7-Point Grading scale (Hayes). There is a reason that the 10-point-grading scale is so loved

by students— less room for failure. Now, if a student makes a 92 in a class, they will have an A

rather than a B. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the reason for the adoption of the

10-point-grading scale was to benefit students (“FAQ- Grading Scale Changes”). This is Grade

Inflation at its finest. The adoption of the 10-point grading scale eliminates the opportunity of

failure. It reduces to chance of earning a “C.” In North Carolina, a “C” is considered average, or
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at least Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools grading scale considers it average. The reality is that a

“C” is not an average grade. Most students at school receive at least a “C” on any given test,

quiz, or worksheet. The mindset that a “C” is average has shifted. It is almost embarrassing to

receive a “C.” Now, a student can put in minimal effort and get a better than a “C.” According to

Figure 1.2, only 2.2 percent of students surveyed from the ages 13-20 says they get mostly “C’s,”

while 20 percent of students surveyed say they get all “A’s” (Hayes). Surprisingly, “C’s” are

supposed to be the average grade, yet most students receive A’s and B’s so, shouldn’t those be

average? In another study conducted, “find that the proportion of students with A averages

(including A-minus and A-plus) increased from 38.9 percent of the graduating class of 1998 to

47 percent of the graduating class of 2016” (Jaschik). Not only is Grade Inflation is on the rise,

but it also gives us new information on the amount of A’s given. Almost 50 percent of the

graduating class had an “A” average. That is insane especially considering “C” is considered

average. The inflation of grades will only increase with inaction.

Grade Inflation in North Carolina public high schools has caused a decrease in ambition

in correlation to work ethic. Students tend to slack off in accordance to the grades that they have

been receiving. An eleventh grader at Merancas Middle College, who asked to stay anonymous,
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when asked if his work ethic changes based on the grades he receives, he replied “Why work

hard for something when you can not work as hard for the same result?” (A Merancas Student).

This is the attitude of students across North Carolina— minimalistic. A study conducted by

Philip Babcock supports the Middle College student’s remark by stating that the “Average study

time was 50 [percent] lower in classes where the average expected grade was an A than in

classes where the average expected grade was a C, all else being held constant. Thus, higher

expected grades seemed to incentivize less effort while lower expected grades seemed to

incentivize more effort” (Casalaspi). While Babcock’s research displays that studying declines

with a higher prospected grade, a study conducted by Kelly Hayes proves that work ethic as a

whole seems to be dropping among students. According to Figure 1.3, 31.1 percent of students

surveyed said that they study 0 hours per night (Hayes). This is an astonishingly high portion of

the population surveyed. As stated previously, the population surveyed made mostly “A’s” and

“B’s.” This is nearly impossible considering they put 0 hours into their work, taking into account

that “C’s” are average. The study shows that work ethic in public schools has declined and the

only possible reason is the increase in Grade Inflation. Students are simply not trying as hard in

school anymore. They have been afforded the privilege of being apathetic to their grades because

students simply do not have to try as hard in certain classes anymore. This impacts students in a

very negative way. According to Stuart Rojstaczer, “[Students] aren’t studying more. When they

graduate they are less literate” (Katsikas). Rojstaczer shows the damaging correlation between
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academic apathy and illiteracy. Grade Inflation has caused students to become less ambitious,

resulting in illiteracy rates skyrocketing.

In addition to students becoming less ambitious, students in North Carolina public

schools, as well as schools across the nation, have become entitled to receive positive feedback

on any work that they submit. In a study conducted in 2008 by Ellen Greenberger and colleagues

at the University of California, Irvine, “66.2 percent of students believe that ‘trying hard’ should

result in a good grade” (Holdcroft). The problem with this mentality is that how hard a student

tries is subjective. One student might think that studying 15 minutes a night is “trying hard”

while another maybe consider three hours “trying hard.” Either way the teachers do not grade

based on how hard a student worked on something; they grade based on accuracy, angering

students into thinking that they, themselves, are not at fault, but rather the teachers are. As a

result, entitlement comes into play; students begin to think that their grades are not fair.

According to Figure 1.4, 24.4 percent of students surveyed believed that the grades that they earn

are not fair (Hayes). This is a startling high percentage of students unsatisfied with their currents

grades. Since more and more students are unsatisfied with their current grade, a new
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phenomenon among students in public schools has occurred— arguing for the grade they think

they deserve. People can go on the internet and see a myriad of tutorials on how to argue their

way into a better grade. Students feel that they know better than a trained professional and

demand better grades, becoming so bad that some teachers actually give into their entitlement for

their own sanity. Harvey Mansfield, a Harvard professor, says that he “gives students two

grades: the grade he feels they truly deserve, and an official, inflated grade for their transcripts.

And there's no doubt that some professors hand out inflated grades in order to save time on

grading (or arguing with students about grades)” (Slavov). The extreme inflation of grades has

caused students to feel entitled to a higher grade purely based on the fact that they tried, what

they considered, “hard.” Grade Inflation has caused students to feel entitled that any work they

submit is worthy of a high grade.

Lastly, High School Grade Inflation can cause havoc when it comes to colleges that do

not require standardized test scores. This is because the colleges have to go off of the extremely

inflated grade that the school provides, which causes all students to look identical and does not

allow the college admissions board to know what type of worker the student is. Grade Inflation

equalizes students disregarding merit. According to Scott Jaschik, “Such Grade Inflation blurs
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the signal of high grades on a transcript, meaning that the students whose performance truly

justifies A grades are not easily discernible from students with more modest classroom

performance” (“High School Grades: Higher and Higher”). This quotation proves that grade

inflation is actually detrimental to the colleges that are admitting students based on GPA. Their

admissions process can be compared to a person closing their eyes and grabbing a marble out of

a bag; they are all the same students on paper so it does not really matter how they discern

students. According to The Associated Press, “A national survey shows overall reliance on test

scores is higher in admissions than it was a decade ago” (Pope). Caused by the inflated grades,

every student to look alike. Many colleges are trying to get rid of the requirement of standardized

test scores due to public backlash, without the consideration that GPA’s themselves do not paint

an accurate picture of the student’s abilities. Due to the rise of Grade Inflation, college

admissions board can not get an idea of a student’s work ethic, causing student’s to look

identical, making the admissions process almost like a lottery.

Grade Inflation is sadly becoming a prominent part in education. Many students get

through their classes without any effort at all. Teachers just pass students along. According to

Figure 1.5, 53.3 percent of students surveyed said that they have passed a class and wondered

how they passed (Hayes). This is due to the teachers just passing students along. This is Grade

Inflation at its finest. Grade Inflation has a multitude of effects besides altering a student’s grade.

Grade Inflation causes students to become less ambitious, resulting in illiteracy rates to

skyrocket. The inflation of grades has made students feel like any work they submit is worthy of

an “A.” Lastly, Grade Inflation hurts college admissions board by making them rely on the
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student’s ever-so-inaccurate GPA’s. Grade Inflation is detrimental to the students, the faculty,

and colleges.
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Works Cited

A Merancas Student. Interview. By Kelly E. Hayes. 12 Mar. 2018.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. “FAQ- Grading Scale Changes.” CMS Grading Scale,

www.cms.k12.nc.us/mediaroom/Documents/CMS%20Grading%20Scale.pdf.

Casalaspi, David. “A Is for Average (or Even Awful).” Green Write, Michigan State University,

29 Nov. 2016, edwp.educ.msu.edu/green-and-write/2016/a-is-for-average-or-even-

awful/.

Figures 1.1-1.6. Hayes, Kelly. “Grade Inflation in North Carolina Public Schools.” Survey.

6 February 2018.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T99EXlKVY7fjbcvQv2BOQ-

nGL8Gr5svs7pPTIOO7-ww/edit?usp=sharing

Holdcroft, Barb. “Student Incivility, Intimidation, and Entitlement in Academia.” American

Association of University Professors, www.aaup.org/article/student-incivility-

intimidation-and-entitlement-academia#.WqseUWinG3A.

Jaschik, Scott. “High School Grades: Higher and Higher.” Study Finds Notable Increase in

Grades in High Schools Nationally, InsideHigherEd.com, 17 July 2017,

www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2017/07/17/study-finds-notable-increase-

grades-high-schools-nationally.

Katsikas, Aina. “Same Performance, Better Grades.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 13

Jan. 2015, www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/01/same-performance-better-

grades/384447/.
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Pope, Justin. “Admissions Boards Face 'Grade Inflation'.” The Associated Press, The Associated

Press, 18 Nov. 2006, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

dyn/content/article/2006/11/18/AR2006111800473_pf.ht

Slavov, Sita. “How to Fix College Grade Inflation.” U.S. News, 26 Dec. 2013,

www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/12/26/why-college-grade-

inflation-is-a-real-problem-and-how-to-fix-it+.