Grading and Grade Inflation at Georgia Tech

1. Grading and Grade Inflation at Georgia Tech Preliminary Report to the Executive Board March 11, 2003

2. Grade Inflation Defined The upward shift in the grade point average (GPA) of students over an extended period of time without a corresponding increase in student achievement. Goldman, L. 1985. “The Betrayal of the Gatekeepers: Grade Inflation.” Journal of General Education 37 (2): 97-121

3. Methodology • Extensive study of literature • Survey of peers and other institutions of higher education • Statistical analysis of Georgia Tech data • Focus on undergraduate level only • Historic perspective • In-depth study of last 10 years by department

4. CalTech Carnegie-Mellon Cornell Johns Hopkins MIT Northwestern Stanford NC State Penn State Purdue Georgia Tech’s Peer Institutions • Texas A & M • UC-Berkeley • UCLA • Florida • Illinois-Urbana • Michigan • Minnesota • Texas • Washington • Virginia Tech

5. Other Institutions Reviewed • University of Arizona • University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill • Harvard University • Louisiana State University • Hood College

6. Peer Review • Surveyed 10 peers for recent grade inflation studies at their own institutions • Compiled grading definitions, including the use of plus/minus systems, at all 20 peers • Review of grade inflation studies at other institutions, most notably UNC-Chapel Hill and Harvard

7. Of the 10 Peers Surveyed… • Five had conducted studies on grading and grade inflation • These five “studies” ranged from the effects of a plus/minus grading system to charts showing SAT score plotted against GPA • Interesting responses from Berkeley and MIT regarding need to do such studies

8. Grade Definitions at Peers • Most use 4.0 scale • Standard: A = Excellent, B=Good, C=Satisfactory, D=Poor/Passing, F=Failure • CalTech and MIT use Pass/Fail in freshman year • 14 peers use some form of plus/minus grading system

9. Cause for Alarm? • At Princeton, the median GPA for the class of 1973 was 3.09; in 2000 it was 3.36 • At Dartmouth, the average GPA has risen from 2.70 to 3.33 from 1967 to 2001 • At Harvard, over the last three years, more than 50% of the grades awarded have been A’s • At Georgia Tech, the average overall GPA in Fall 1985 was 2.59; last Fall, it was 2.86

10. Georgia Tech GPA

11. GT vs. Other Institutions

12. Harvard’s Solution: Policy Change • 15-point grading scale became the more common 4-point scale • Honor degrees will be awarded to a limited percentage of each graduating class (20% summa cum laude and magna cum laude combined and 50% overall)

13. Where does Georgia Tech stand?

14. Student Expectations

15. Input Dynamics: High School GPA and Admissions Index

17. Incoming Student Performance

23. ALL UG COURSES

24. 4000 LEVEL COURSES

25. 1000 LEVEL COURSES

26. Implications?

27. Report Outline • Scope and Definitions • Grading at Georgia Tech • Opinions • Analysis of Peer Institutions • Discussion • Sources • Implications • Remedies • Conclusions and Bibliography

28. Conclusions? • Statistically, there is grade inflation • Peer comparison does not indicate cause for alarm • Quality of incoming students is increasing • Lower level courses: quality of student experience • Impact of tenure status of the instructors • Non-uniform departmental distribution