Updated Dec. 31, 2007: MacLean’s magazine tells us that the typical student can treat university studies much like a part-time job, yet still earn a B average. The traditional standard for an average performance was a C, but that is now a thing of the past in most of our educational institutions. Many students now expect Bs for putting out a modicum of effort that produces mediocre work, and As if they do any more than this. Failure is a thing of the past in many schools.Grade inflation is bad for bright students who aren’t challenged and therefore do not develop their intellectual potentials in ways that would enrich their lives and contribute their talent to the Canadian economy.
Inflated grades are also bad for those who are average or below because they are given higher marks, but not told how to improve. With less asked of students, many simply drift through the educational system and into the workforce without building or maximizing their intellectual potentials. Those who go on to higher education on the basis of inflated grades are often not prepared.
The problem that critics face in pointing out this crisis is that most people appear to be unaware of the history of grading practices and the meaning of the standards they represent. This seems to be the case for many younger teachers and administrators who went through the system themselves as grades were rising and demands lowering. Let us be clear then that we are not blaming the crisis on the current cohort passing through the system. However, the crisis is coming to a head as so many in this cohort come to university with a sense of grade entitlement and what has been called a “degree purchasing” attitude – if they pay their tuition, they believe they deserve good grades.
An open public discussion is needed about the grading practices we are using in our schools, because the current system has developed more as a result of an attempt to keep students in school than as a means of maintaining standards that promote excellence. This discussion requires knowledge of the history of grading practices in Canada. The Canadian university system emerged out of the British system in which no more than 5% of students were awarded As, and another 30% given Bs. Accordingly, only one third would be judged to be above average. An additional 30-40% would be judged as average. This is a statistical fact of life when large numbers of people are involved. Currently, at least twice this percentage is receiving As and Bs in Canadian high schools and universities. Not coincidentally, a recent survey of first-year students found that 70% rate themselves as above average, a statistical impossibility. Some more forward-looking universities in the U.S. are confronting the problem on their own turf.The grades of Ontario high school graduates began to increase with the end of standardized exams in the late 60s. By the early 80s, 40% of those applying to universities had A averages. Currently, more than 60% do so, and more than 10% are armed with A+ averages. With very few exceptions, universities like Western, McGill, and Queen’s now accept only those with A averages.
The designation of Ontario Scholar begun in the 1960s is now meaningless. For a discussion of inter-provincial differences in grade inflation, and how some universities are handling the problems it creates, see a recent online article by a student journalist at Western.
A recent report about New Brunswick high schools underscores how assigned grades in class often are not backed by performances on standardized tests.Likewise, universities have given increasingly higher grades over the same time period. Between the mid-70s and mid-90s, grades increased from just under 50% As and Bs to over 50% for first-year courses, and then appear to have steadily risen to current rates of about 60-80% As and Bs, depending on the university and the year level of the course. These estimates are from institutional figures, which are rarely released to the public. Self-reported grades from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE, pronounced “Nessie”) put these estimates for As and Bs at 80-90%. The University of Waterloo is one of the few Canadian universities providing full disclosure of its NSSE results. We hope not only that all universities will do so, but will also only conduct internal investigations of their own grading practices, following the lead of the University of Lethbridge.Canadian high schools and universities need to get a grip on the grade inflation problem.
As a point of reference, we recommend the European Credit Transfer System. This system was originally set up to coordinate student exchange programmes among institutions in some thirty countries. Now in use by thousands of universities, it allows participating universities in each country to convert grades to a common, non-inflated standard. In this sensible system, As are awarded for outstanding performances (about 10% of cases), Bs are given for performances that are very good with few errors (about 25%), Cs go to good work that is generally sound with notable errors, and Ds or less are awarded to work with significant shortcomings. In this system, students have more to strive for, excellence is rewarded, and those who need to improve are given appropriate feedback.