Education

‘Real News From The Blaze:’ Is Grade Inflation Producing a Generation of Overrated and Entitled Graduates?

The White House has announced it has granted more exemptions to No Child Left Behind, giving schools more flexibility to design curriculums that work best for their students, as long as they agree to meet certain educational benchmarks in exchange for the exemptions. Flexibility it seems though is a double edged sword.

As more and more colleges and universities use ‘flexibility’ in their grading systems, there has been an increase in grade inflation, which some say leads to under-equipped, overrated, and overconfident graduates entering the work force.

With more students receiving As than ever, are our kids really that much smarter? Or is the competitiveness of academia to secure high tuition-paying admitted students and the demands of increasing generations of entitled kids spiking grades?

Former college professor and Department of Education official Lori Roman joined “Real News” Wednesday to break down the negative effects grade inflation has on the development of students and the overall economy.

 

Comments (55)

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  • nolefan2
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:34am

    Well, I had a reply for dmforman, but it apparently got lost in “comment h377. My husband and I were both teachers and experienced some of the most insane policies you can imagine. He was told by an administrator that he could not keep a student from sleeping in class. He was asked to raise a student’s grade one letter so she could go on a field trip. He said he would raise it, but only if he could raise every other student’s grade in the same manner, When told no, he refused to raise hers. I taught kindergarten. At an awards ceremony, we had to give everyone an award of some type. The administrators were more concerned about “self esteem” than what the students were actually taught. I fought the system right up until the day I retired. I can sleep well at night knowing I did the right things for those students and did not give them false impressions.

    Report Post »  
  • Arc
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 9:27am

    One of HuffPo’s writers used the word “ wronger ” yesterday in one of his posts. I suppose he was attempting to say something was “ more wrong ”. I waited for him to bring up the word “ wrongest ” but to no avail.

    Years ago, a super talented basketball player graduated from a well known small college.

    I believe he eventually played for the Pistons since he leased an apartment in Detroit

    . One day the landlord called the cops because this guy was throwing all his furniture off the 3rd floor balcony
    .
    Upon his arrest for disorderly conduct, the cops asked him what caused him to “ lose it ” so wildly.

    He replied ” I spent 16 years of my life going to school, graduated from a good college but I can’t even read my mail ”

    At a minimum, 17 people were responsible for his plight. 16 teachers or professors and himself.

    Report Post » Arc  
  • AUsername
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 6:26am

    Depends on degree and school. nothing prepares you for workforce because you learn on the job.

    Report Post » AUsername  
  • burnbabylon
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 5:13am

    No, no, you don’t understand. Barack Obama IS the president, Mitt Romney is just running for president.
    The teachers do expect some things from their students. Political correctness, regurgitation of political correctness. I’m sure there is something else, but I can’t think of it right now.

    Report Post »  
    • scrudge
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 5:37am

      Ah Yes….. I are a college graduate… I gots a ring in my nose and a tatoooooo on my butt

      Report Post »  
  • TheBurningTruth
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 3:57am

    It’s pretty sad really. I remember my (Republican) mother arguing with our (Democratic) neighbor back in 1964 about NOT letting the Feds fund education. My mom’s argument was that once they start funding it, the Feds get total control. The neighbor was simply about getting the money.

    Of course, while my brother, sister and I grew up to hold steady jobs, her kids ended up (in order), the town slut, a child molester, a Height-Asbury druggie, a murderer, another town slut, and I don’t know what happened to the last one.

    Report Post » TheBurningTruth  
  • tzion
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 1:05am

    Honestly, as someone who hasn’t been out of college for even a decade, I’m starting to feel like I got lucky as far as high school was concerned. I went to a religious private school that, while most students performed well, didn’t just give away good grades. I can count all the terrible teachers I had on one hand.

    After getting to college I found myself well prepared for the material but not always for the professors. Most of them were good or at least competent, but some, most of them science teachers, were so terrible that they had essentially predetermined the grade distribution and only used exams to figure out who gets what. You see some college professors don’t just inflate grades, they curve them so that the distribution looks natural when it isn’t. Essentially, they intentionally create exams that most students will either fail or barely pass, then use a statistical analysis to assign the grades so that a certain number pass. Based solely on the exam results, I’d estimate that 80% of the students would have failed outright if it wasn’t for the professor trying to cover his ass. Truth be told, I‘m convinced these professors don’t even care about teaching because they’re only interested in university research. And while students who were used to this from high school were fine with this, for someone who was used to having to earn good grades, inflated grades felt like F’s even if the professor had passed me. Reminds me of those fake AAA loan bundles. Loo

    Report Post »  
  • gregjackie1
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:28pm

    I have done some studying on how far our education system has fallen. One can read works from people like John Taylor Gato and Charlotte Iserbyt to understand what has happened. I have looked at coursework and books from the 1950′s and before. The difference is like night and day. I have come up with 12 steps to better education. Some of my own thoughts and some from others I agreed with. They are not a complete list but they would definitely help. The list is on my reply.

    Report Post »  
    • gregjackie1
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:29pm

      1. Bring back the red ink pens for grading.
      2. Raise the standards and expectations of students. Teach to the upper half. If any in the lower half has too much trouble then send them to summer school.
      3. Bring back summer school.
      4. Focus more on the core basics that is the foundation of a sound and creative mind. Teachers are forced to have too much on their plate with all of this social engineering crap. Let them teach the core subjects they were passionate about.
      5. Smaller class sizes do not result in better students. If they did then Asian students in Asian countries would be idiots.
      6. More money does not equal better education. Get rid of majority of administrators. Only a fraction are needed.
      7. No calculators in math classes, period. The only exception may be advanced science and trig. What did students do before calculators?
      8. Remove the reliance of teaching through computers. I am not referring to computer science classes. I am talking about grade school history math, english, reading, etc. Use the textbooks.
      9. Clubs in schools that do not have anything to do with a subject such as a language club, math club, etc. have no place in schools. They are exclusionary.
      10. No group projects when it comes to writing or research. Do your own work. groups or pairs only when it comes to labs.
      11. Flunk students that need it. Bring failure back. It is a good motivator.
      12. Restore common courtesy.

      Report Post »  
    • gregjackie1
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:32pm

      Continuation of 12steps to better education.
      The list.
      1. Bring back the red ink pens for grading.
      2. Raise the standards and expectations of students. Teach to the upper half. If any in the lower half has too much trouble then send them to summer school.
      3. Bring back summer school.
      4. Focus more on the core basics that is the foundation of a sound and creative mind. Teachers are forced to have too much on their plate with all of this social engineering crap. Let them teach the core subjects they were passionate about.
      5. Smaller class sizes do not result in better students. If they did then Asian students in Asian countries would be idiots.
      6. More money does not equal better education. Get rid of majority of administrators. Only a fraction are needed.
      7. No calculators in math classes, period. The only exception may be advanced science and trig. What did students do before calculators?
      8. Remove the reliance of teaching through computers. I am not referring to computer science classes. I am talking about grade school history math, english, reading, etc. Use the textbooks.
      9. Clubs in schools that do not have anything to do with a subject such as a language club, math club, etc. have no place in schools. They are exclusionary.
      10. No group projects when it comes to writing or research. Do your own work. groups or pairs only when it comes to labs.
      11. Flunk students that need it. Bring failure back. It is a good motivator.
      12. Restore common courtesy.

      Report Post »  
    • gregjackie1
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:36pm

      Woops. MIstakenly posted twice.

      Report Post »  
    • Free2speakRN
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 2:34am

      gregjackie1,

      Very good.

      Also, ‘Logic’ and ‘Critical Thinking’ classes! And get some… Good ‘History’ books!

      Maybe these things would help bring forth some on your list. eg) “Uh….Hey! If I flunk, I have to go to school in the summer.”

      Report Post »  
    • Arc
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 9:13am

      Outstanding list!!!!!!!!

      Report Post » Arc  
    • Lloyd Drako
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:19am

      Gregjackie1: Don’t apologize for posting twice. Three times would have been better!

      Report Post » Lloyd Drako  
    • gregjackie1
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 9:07pm

      Thanks for your good comments. Good history books would be in the number on the core basics. An excellent idea as history is being purged from our schools by design.

      Report Post »  
  • Netizen Kane
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:00pm

    When will a solid, well principled, business organization stand up and actually RATE the quality of degrees from the various Universities and stand by that rating come hell or high water?

    What businesses seem to do instead is take what they get and then spend 10′s of thousands re-training and “un-training” their workforce.

    Of course, maybe they’re now too intimidated by the current Justice Department and IRS to actually take a stand….

    Report Post » Netizen Kane  
  • jujubeebee
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:00pm

    Politicians should keep their noses out of education!

    Report Post »  
  • jujubeebee
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:59pm

    Math and science was dumbed down years ago. No surprise to me that we are not measuring up globally. Self esteem, and making school easier for students and teachers has given us these results.
    It is the fault of all of us………parents who went with the flow and allowed it to happen, and the government and the schools. You can’t pin the blame on one thing. The 80s brought us the self esteem entitlement generation……a generation who think they are great and deserve the best just because they exist. They never had to WORK for SELF ESTEEM or WIN or COMPETE. Competition was a dirty word. Well now we are dealing with the results. Confidence needs to be earned because arrogance is not confidence.

    Report Post »  
  • dmforman
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:59pm

    I tutor kids in my neighborhood for free. I have had first graders who did not know their alphabet letter names or sounds have A‘s and B’s for grades. Having taught kindergarten and first grade before, I can only scratch my head and ask how!!!!

    Our public schools are truly failing our schools. Two years ago, I left teaching to stay at home with my son. I left teaching, partly because I wasn’t able to teach and partly because even “good” childcare sucked. My last year, I got reprimanded because I wanted the kids to memorize where the states were located on a blank map. This is something that I had to learn in 4th grade, and has served me well when needing knowledge of geography. Parents complained and because it wasn’t part of the state standards, I could not assess the students on this. I knew right there I had to get the heck out and not allow my son to enter a public school in my area.

    Teachers in my district are not allowed to give kids anything lower than a 60, even when they don’t turn the work in or get any problems correct. Teachers are encouraged strongly to give students multiple chances on allowing kids to make up tests and other graded projects. I wasn’t able to take off for late work.

    Another school district in which I worked, did not allow me to have kids write or speak in proper English. Using Black English was just okay with them. I fought this one and finally left.

    Report Post »  
    • broker0101
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:28pm

      dmforman, You “left” a public school teaching job to “tutor kids in (your) neighborhood for free”? That Goldline investment must have paid off HUGE for you! Congratulations!

      Report Post » broker0101  
    • nolefan2
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:23am

      Bless your heart. My husband and I were both teachers and see eye-to-eye with you. I always said I would leave when Ebonics was required to be taught. Fortunately, in my district in Florida, it never happened. My husband was once told by an administrator that he could not keep a student from sleeping in class. He said “fine, if it was okay for one to sleep, then he might as well let everyone sleep.” What a crock of bull. He was told to raise a student’s grade so that she could go on a field trip. He said if he raised hers, he would raise them all. He taught middle school and retired before I did. I taught kindergarten and was able to last a while longer. Needless to say, we’re thrilled to be done with it. Sad, because we feel we touched so many lives.

      Report Post »  
  • professorofliberty
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:55pm

    Nothing new about this issue: When I was teaching grad school in the late 90′s to 2003, there were annual faculty meetings dedicated to this one issue. Administrators cajoling, threatening, begging profs to stop giving A‘s and B’s only. I graded on a curve…and was threatened with lawsuit after lawsuit by students. Other faculty members made it plain they would continue to give nothing but high grades…whether students showed at class or did their work…they wouldn’t risk the reprisals. I‘m sure it’s only gotten worse with time.

    Report Post »  
    • broker0101
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:01pm

      Wow, UNTENUREDSHORTTERM“PROFESSOR”! You “graded on a curve”? With shop-talk like that, there‘s no way you’re just a lying poseur.

      Report Post » broker0101  
  • jujubeebee
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:47pm

    No Child Left Behind was a LOUSY plan. Education should be local…….and more families involved and less government. They infiltrated the education system, they dumbed down the text books, they put all children into one class regardless of level and made everything into group projects so the wiser kids pulled the lower kids through, they changed how they taught math, english and science and they threw spelling and handwriting overboard. They have been dumbing down our kids for years now. Add the fact that some families are not supportive………and maybe it is because they think they can dump the kids at school and not do anything. Children of successful people are taught skills from their parents on how to be successful. It is passed down through caring. If you want to move all the illegals into the system and they cannot even speak the language then the levels will go down. It is easy to blame teachers. I don’t blame teachers. They are dealing with more than years ago as their classrooms are filled with problems……all types of problems which also include inclusion children. Family life and the people writing the textbooks and pushing the agenda are the problem. If Bush or Obama think they can regulate this they are nuts. No child left behind was a complete joke. You need to bring it back to the neighborhoods and the families and take it away from the federal government. Disband the whole Dept. of Education and give the job to the parents who care!

    Report Post »  
  • barber2
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:41pm

    Blame this mess on the 60′s. That was when competition was forbidden ; when everyone was declared ” beautiful ; ” when lawsuits and affirmative action replaced the grading curve, failure , and learning history . Been downhill ever since.

    Report Post »  
    • broker0101
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:45pm

      We all know how old you are now. Bitter old coot.

      Report Post » broker0101  
    • angelcat
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:48pm

      And don’t forget the desire to build self- esteem, meaning that no answer should be called “wrong” (too judgemental), that red ink was to intimidating, that there should be a huge amount on group work with the grade the same for all in the group (meaning some did nothing and still got an A for it). As a retired teacher who taught for 30 years, I could go on and on. My favorite was regiving a test until a child passed it and requiring that no child get less than a 70 on the test even if he/she took it 20 times.

      Report Post »  
    • jujubeebee
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:50pm

      I blame it on the 80s when “self esteem” became the most important thing…….like you can GIVE it to them without their earning it. Arrogance is not confidence. We have the result of the self esteem generation……….a whole generation that the majority feel entitled and falsely confident.

      Report Post »  
    • jujubeebee
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:51pm

      just read angelcat’s comment………..and it was my thoughts exactly…………blame this on the 80s not the 60s!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Report Post »  
    • barber2
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:07pm

      OK. This may be the result of the 80′s ” self esteem,” BUT this all started in the 60′s when during integration, the goofy Left lowered standards rather than raising expectations. The Left has been ruining us for a long time. Witness them today. Such “ good intentions” just paving America’s road to Third World hell !

      Report Post »  
  • 65Mustang
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:36pm

    Yes !!!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • wordweaver
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:35pm

    No Child Left Behind was a big mistake. It guaranteed than almost everyone got left behind while they waited for the slowest to achieve minimum competency. By lowering the bar in education, we are deluding ourselves that students are performing better than they are. This becomes clear when we compare their scholarship to kids of other nations, and we come in 28th place or so. I just finished teaching a science course at my local community college, and the skills displayed by many of my students were well below those of students I used to teach in private high school.

    Report Post » wordweaver  
    • barber2
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:44pm

      Correcto. AND, the Obama crowd even allows for wavers so that the No Child standards can be avoided. No wonder America is rushing into Third World hell. Look at our current Democrat leaders who are prime examples of the lack of common sense in American voters…

      Report Post »  
  • WhatTheHuh
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:32pm

    Will this matter when the generation that actually knows how stupid these graduates actually are passes away? After all, everything is relative and I fear that one day this will be considered the norm and nobody will remember what it truly means to be educated. We will just have a bunch of people with a degree that means nothing.

    Report Post »  
  • beverlee
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:31pm

    Scary. They give credit for class participation…whether you are right or wrong. Not everyone tests well, but we are not being fair to these kids. I’ve been saying it for the past twenty years, for most a college degree means nothing. Some of those I’ve come across with a college degree and a high paying job can barely write a coherent sentence. ESPECIALLY IN GOVERNMENT!

    Report Post » beverlee  
  • MAMMY_NUNN
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:25pm

    What do you expect College‘s and Universities are in the business of selling a education even if it’s not legitimate.

    Report Post »  
  • broker0101
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:12pm

    As an employer of (financial) professionals, including some relatively new college graduates, I know for a fact that the answer to the Title question is “Yes”. You Blazers are all entitled to Glenn Beck’s opinion, though.

    Report Post » broker0101  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:10pm

    I am astonished at the lack of history these college kids have learned. It’s quite scary. Most don’t care, frankly and it will lead to more failure than success in their lives. Those at that age that do care and do learn; are leaps and bounds ahead of the pack. I will include my kids in that group.

    Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:07pm

    I am of the Generation where… knowledge was learned for the sake of knowledge… before Degrees were Mass Produce and Sold!

    Report Post » lukerw  
    • broker0101
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:17pm

      Really? You are of Plato’s generation? You know, when “knowledge was learned for the sake of knowledge” and not to become materially successful. What a poseur tool.

      Report Post » broker0101  
    • taxpro4u03
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:36pm

      A more pervasive problem seems to be that many ‘employers’ do NOT want those who can THINK CRITICALLY (i.e. solve problems; create a better mousetrap – make things more efficient etc) — rather, they want ROBOTS who will simply do as they are told by ‘management.’ — The exceptions being those ‘businesses’ that are not producing a ‘product or service’ for profit, rather the medical and technological ‘sciences.’ — Even here, we see the ‘employee’ being ‘looted’ of their contributed ‘intellectial property,‘ under the guise of ’we provided you with the opportunity/tools to build it — we OWN it’ mentality. Sad. Very very sad.

      Report Post »  
    • lukerw
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 1:51pm

      @BROKER…
      I attended a Catholic University in the 60′s… when a Classical Education was still available… whereas you seem to be of the Generation that ‘Shall Not Pass until’…

      Report Post » lukerw  
  • pecosval
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:07pm

    Duh!

    Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:59pm

    well we all are experiencing what affirmative action has done to the country

    its not that difficult to observe how this is affecting the quality of education …………..and we have the last numerous decades to easily extrapolate how far down the crapper education has gone

    80% of college graduate would fail an 8th grade final exam from the 1800′s

    boooooom looosing

    Report Post » Psychosis  
  • Ducky 1
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:57pm

    Yep!

    Report Post » Ducky 1  
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