When an "A" is not an "A"

This is one in a series of articles on?Education In A World of AI,?through which I am seeking to understand the emerging education landscape.

When an "A" is not an "A"

In recent years, the landscape of academic assessment has undergone significant transformations, raising critical questions about the reliability and fairness of the university selection process.?

One of the interesting facets of this problem is "grade inflation. The phenomenon of grade inflation — the assignment of grades that do not align with content mastery — calls into question whether, and to what degree, grades alone should be used to measure academic achievement or predict future university performance.??

The statistic that in 2016, 47 percent of high school students graduated with A-range grades, underscores a trend in academic assessment, where nearly half of all graduating seniors are clustered within a narrow band of high achievement, at least in terms of their grade point averages (GPAs). The pandemic further accelerated this trend.

A 2022?report?from ACT, the nonprofit organization that administers the ACT college readiness exam, finds evidence of grade inflation in high school GPAs between 2010 and 2021. As grade inflation increases over time, high school GPAs become less useful as indicators of academic achievement."Grade inflation is real, it is widespread, and it weakens the value of student transcripts as a single measure of what students know and can do," the study states.?

This happens at all levels of the education system, not just in high schools. For instance, Harvard University saw its average grade point average (GPA) rise from 2.7 in 1963 to 3.8, reflecting a broader trend across educational institutions. A striking example of the misalignment between classroom grades and objective measures of student achievement comes from Los Angeles, where 83% of sixth graders received A, B, or C grades in spring 2022. Yet, only 27% met standards on state and national assessments.?

The recent availability of tools, like ChatGPT, has further complicated academic assessment. While these technologies can provide valuable support for learning, they also raise concerns about academic integrity and the authenticity of students' work. Teachers have an increasingly difficult challenge in discerning a student's work from a student's work augmented by an LLM.

The college admissions process has also evolved in response to these trends. With over 80% of four-year colleges no longer requiring standardized tests, grades have become even more central to admissions decisions. However, relying on grades as the primary metric for evaluating students is problematic given the widespread grade inflation and the reduction in other evaluative components such as interviews.

Welcome Back Standardized Tests

One of our beliefs is that standardized tests like the SAT are on the way back. In light of the pervasive grade inflation and the diminishing reliability of GPAs as a measure of student capability, standardized tests offer a viable solution for maintaining academic standards. As grade inflation continues to dilute the reliability of GPAs and the rigor of high school coursework varies widely, standardized tests offer a benchmark to help admissions officers compare applicants from diverse educational backgrounds. Recent research indicates that these tests promote diversity and equity, a criticism central to discussions on university selection.

Concluding Thoughts

Grades today convey a misleading picture of student learning and achievement. In light of the pervasive grade inflation and the diminishing reliability of GPAs as a measure of student capability, standardized tests offer a viable solution for maintaining academic standards. But they are not the only answer. As the educational landscape evolves, the debate over standardized testing will persist, reflecting broader discussions about fairness, opportunity, and the best ways to assess student achievement.

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