2008 Woodie Awards
Nationwide trend overlooks EC
Grades: Scores reflect students' performance
By: Eva Allen
Issue date: 5/27/04 Section: News
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Students receiving too many A's have caused some concern among college campuses nationwide, but at EC there is no need to worry.
Recent suspicion of "grade courtesy" at college campuses has set off concerns among some administrators who are taking steps to try to control what is being called a grade inflation trend.
A recent article published by the Daily Princetonian stated that administrators approved an anti-grade inflation proposal.
The measure intends to control the alleged rise in "good grades" at Princeton. This rise is being considered a national phenomenon on college campuses.
"Instructors should give the grade that a student earns," physical education major Oscar Rodriguez said. "If a student deserves an 'A' then he or she should get it."
However, administrators at EC don't believe they have to worry about any grade inflation occurring here. They are confident that if there is a problem, it will not get out of hand.
"Statistically, there doesn't seem to be a trend," Thomas Lew, dean of fine arts, said. "Or it's not big enough to say that this is something suspicious."
When comparing the number of letter 'A' grades given in the spring of 1994 to the spring of 2003, there was a small difference-less than a 3 percent rise in a ten-year period.
Although the numbers were only rough drafts and not the final numbers, they were close enough to compare and to determine that there is no evidence to indicate grade courtesy, Lew said.
"You come across certain patterns and see some variation," Lew said. "That because it's just the course of things."
"Many things have changed in the last ten years, even the last two," Lew said. "There aren't as many classes available and it could be that students might be getting more serious about school."
Lew acknowledged that adequate research on the issue has not been conducted.
He also said that the topic of grade inflation hasn't been addressed in the deans' meetings in years.
Recent suspicion of "grade courtesy" at college campuses has set off concerns among some administrators who are taking steps to try to control what is being called a grade inflation trend.
A recent article published by the Daily Princetonian stated that administrators approved an anti-grade inflation proposal.
The measure intends to control the alleged rise in "good grades" at Princeton. This rise is being considered a national phenomenon on college campuses.
"Instructors should give the grade that a student earns," physical education major Oscar Rodriguez said. "If a student deserves an 'A' then he or she should get it."
However, administrators at EC don't believe they have to worry about any grade inflation occurring here. They are confident that if there is a problem, it will not get out of hand.
"Statistically, there doesn't seem to be a trend," Thomas Lew, dean of fine arts, said. "Or it's not big enough to say that this is something suspicious."
When comparing the number of letter 'A' grades given in the spring of 1994 to the spring of 2003, there was a small difference-less than a 3 percent rise in a ten-year period.
Although the numbers were only rough drafts and not the final numbers, they were close enough to compare and to determine that there is no evidence to indicate grade courtesy, Lew said.
"You come across certain patterns and see some variation," Lew said. "That because it's just the course of things."
"Many things have changed in the last ten years, even the last two," Lew said. "There aren't as many classes available and it could be that students might be getting more serious about school."
Lew acknowledged that adequate research on the issue has not been conducted.
He also said that the topic of grade inflation hasn't been addressed in the deans' meetings in years.