The Impact of Grade Inflation on the Incidence of Academic Deficiencies Session H2 Ronald F. Urban PACRAO Conference Cal

1. The Impact of Grade Inflation on the Incidence of Academic Deficiencies Session H2 Ronald F. Urban PACRAO Conference Calgary, Alberta November 9, 2010

2. Grade Inflation: Complexity and Confusion • Articles in Chronicle of Higher Education and in the lay press decrying grade inflation • Equally convincing scholarly articles arguing that grade inflation renders student evaluation meaningless • Dissent by respected academic researchers (e.g., Adelman) who argue that reliable and valid nationwide data fail to provide much evidence for grade inflation. “It’s a newspaper phenomenon!”

3. Definition of Grade Inflation An increase in students’ grade point averages over time… …without a corresponding increase in student achievement.” (in R. Kamber, 2008: 47)

4. Fig. 1 Long-term National Grading Trends: Avg. GPA(Various Sources including Rojstaczer, 2009) GPA

5. Possible Explanations: • Harvey Mansfield: Emphasis on student self-esteem, multiculturalism, and affirmative action during the late 60s resulted in grade inflation • Richard J. Barndt (2001: 1): Fiscal and budgetary policies required stable or increasing student enrollments including enhanced retention strategies—along with elevated grading incentives • Large numbers of new, young professors identifying with students during Vietnam war, the draft, women’s issues, and racial discrimination. Calls for “relevance”.

6. Fig. 2 Public vs. Private Higher Education Cumulative GPA Comparisons: 1991-2007(Source: Stuart Rojstaczer, http://www.gradeinflation.com3/10/2009) Private Public

7. Hunches into Hypotheses • Students Better Prepared • Political and Ideological Issues*(Vietnam, “Relevance”, “Compensatory Exchange”) • Demographic and Market-Driven Factors* • Internal Policy Changes (P-D-F, CR/NC classes, Late W/D, Graded Activity Classes, Post-hoc Grade Changes, Teaching Evaluations)* *Kamber, 2008: 52-53

8. Whitman College Walla Walla, WA Highly Selective, 4-yr. liberal arts ~1,500 FTE and Headcount 39% WA, 15% CA, 14% OR

9. Procedures (Methods) • Data extracted for each registered student from fall 1998 through spring 2009 semesters. Non degree-seeking student data removed from files. • Merged appropriate deficiency report data with semester-based data, above; deficiency rates calculated. Semesters serve as unit of analysis. • All analyses performed via Excel

10. Fig. 3 Whitman College Spring Semester Grade Distributions: 1990-2009 Neal Christopherson, Office of Institutional Research, June, 2009 `

11. Fig. 4. Annual Cumulative GPA and PercentLatin Honors: 1998-99 through 2008-09 Cum GPA Latin Honors

12. Academic Deficiency Status • Progress Warning (credits, major gpa) • Academic Probation ( <1.7semester, <2.0 cumulative gpa) • Suspension (Academic Registration Hold) • Dismissal (Separation from College)

13. Fig. 5 Whitman College Average Cumulative GPABy Deficiency Rate: 1998-2009 Cum GPA Deficiency Rate

14. Fig. 6 Whitman Cumulative GPA, New Student High School GPA and Combined SAT Scores: Fall 1998 – Fall 2008 HS GPA Combined SAT Cum GPA

15. Fig. 7 Whitman Cumulative GPA, and New Student Selectivity: Fall 1998 – Fall 2008 Cum GPA Selectivity

16. Fig. 8 Semester-Level Data Correlations

17. Summary • “Higher grading” has occurred at Whitman College, but it appears to be accompanied by more qualified students • The incidence of Latin Honors and the Academic Deficiency Rate both appear to be directly impacted by increasing grades (respectively: r= .85, -.77) • Increasingly high grades (cumulative GPA) appears to be highly correlated with Selectivity (r= .89) (Semester-level data)

18. Latin Honors Selectivity HigherGrades Deficiencies

19. WhyShouldRegistrarBeConcerned? • Increase in Latin Honors means additional administrative details, from verifying students’ qualifications during degree audit to diploma proofing . • Inflated Latin Honors produces greater costs associated with appropriate academic regalia ($2,500 in more stoles at Whitman) • Loss of GPA as a differentiator leads to other forms of status seeking: more double majors, minors, academic exceptions petitions, major honors, demand for specialized certificates, exotic study abroad (transcripts), and applications for prestigious post BA fellowships • Reduction in no. of deficient students means less time and fewer resources allocated towards imposing and enforcing academic standards activities.

20. References Adelman, Clifford. 2008 “Undergraduate Grades: A More Complex Story Than “Inflation,”” in Grade Inflation: Academic Standards in Higher Education, ed. L. Hunt, 13-44. Albany, NY: State University of New York. Biggs, Mary. 2008 “Fissures in the Foundation: Why Grade Conflation Could Happen,” in Grade Inflation: Academic Standards in Higher Education, ed. L. Hunt, 121-152. Albany, NY: State University of New York. Barndt, Richard J. 2001 “Fiscal Policy Effects on Grade Inflation,” http://www.newfoundations.com/Policy/Barndt.html Kamber, Richard. 2008 “Understanding Grade Inflation,” in Grade Inflation: Academic Standards in Higher Education, ed. L. Hunt, 45-71. Albany, NY: State University of New York. Mansfield, Harvey C. 2001 “Grade Inflation: It’s Time to Face the Facts,” http://chronicle.com/article/Grade-Inflation-It-s-Time-to/9332. Accessed 9/22/09. Rojstaczer, Stuart. 2009 “Grade Inflation at American Colleges and Universities,” http://gradeinflation.com/. Accessed 9/22/10.