Higher Education Must Reverse Trend of Grade Inflation

By Fr. Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B.
President, Saint Anselm College
Commentary published in The Union Leader Sunday News

August 1, 2004

One of the greatest concerns of college administrators nationwide since the 1970s has been politely called "grade inflation." It refers to the granting of excessive percentages of superior grades to students, making an A or B the average grade rather than the indication of outstanding achievement. More recently, some high profile institutions like Harvard and Princeton have been in the spotlight for their efforts to reverse this documented trend.

Our reaction at Saint Anselm College: We can show you how to do it.

Fr. Peter Guerin, O.S.B., who was dean of the college for 25 years, said in a recent interview : "One of the greatest disservices educators can do is give grades that aren't earned. It gives students a false and distorted evaluation of their abilities and achievements, and it weakens the value of the college diploma."

Critics argue that students are simply getting smarter and their grades should reflect that. Yet, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, over the last 30 years across the country, SAT scores of entering students have declined and one-third of freshmen are enrolled in at least one remedial course. Meanwhile, a study by a Duke University professor indicates that grade point averages (on a 4.0 scale) have increased more than a half-point since 1970.

When Saint Anselm College confers a diploma it does so upon men and women who have, according to the diploma's Latin phrasing, "rendered themselves worthy to receive public awards and honors."

We take that phrase seriously, and consequently, academic integrity has been a hallmark of Saint Anselm for decades. No Saint Anselm alumni in our long history have ever written to tell us how easily they came by their Saint Anselm degree. The integrity of that degree is grounded in the hard work and sacrifice required to achieve it. Sustaining that integrity is at the heart of the work that all of us at the college, particularly the faculty, do on a daily basis.

The current Dean of the College Fr. Augustine Kelly, O.S.B., has continued the tradition by closely monitoring grade distribution and keeping faculty honest in their evaluation of students. Faculty also have been integral to the framework of our grading guidelines, every five years reviewing and, if necessary, revising the goals.

Fair grading is not simply an administrative mandate on our campus. It's an ethical issue that gets at the very core of academic integrity nationwide. Whether at Saint Anselm, an Ivy League university or a local community college, to pretend that an average student has mastered a subject in an above average way is simply dishonest. While it may be perceived as a boost to a student's self-esteem, in fact, it prevents the student from honestly assessing his or her academic success.

Honest grading demands that faculty remain committed to the cause in a consumer-driven society that includes students who believe they are entitled to good grades because they and their families are paying tuition.

While there is certainly pressure on both professors and administrators to accede to these distorted expectations, colleges and universities have the responsibility to honestly assign grades that students earn. The academy must set the bar high on standards and accountability.

 In fact, market research conducted for Saint Anselm College in 2002-03 indicated that among college and university characteristics that students valued was a "tough grading policy that rewards good work without inflating grades."

While it is true that this concept does not sit well with all students, those who complain are usually the ones who think their peers at other institutions are "benefiting" from more lenient grading practices.

I have found that the majority of Saint Anselm alumni appreciate the rigor with which their undergraduate degree was earned. Some write years later to thank a professor or the dean for the work ethic and standards they developed as a result of their Saint Anselm experience.

Increasingly, college graduates compete in a global economy. For many of these well-educated individuals, their work will be judged against that of peers in China and India, for example, who cost employers a fraction of their American counterparts. If our students are fooled into believing, because of grade inflation, that their competencies are greater than they actually are, they may be handicapped when they are called to compete on the worldwide stage of today's corporations.

I recall reading a piece by a physics professor who was appalled at the pressure he received from students, parents and university administrators to assign more A's. His answer: these students will someday graduate and be expected to design buildings, dams and bridges. Whether they have truly learned the material could be a matter of life and death.

The same could be said of Saint Anselm graduates who are researchers, nurses and surgeons affiliated with elite medical facilities like Johns Hopkins, Tufts and Harvard. I can't speak for everyone, but if I'm headed for the operating room, I'll take the surgeon who earned his or her "A" the honest way.