'C's Get Degrees, But 'A's Are A Breeze

The New York Times’ Economix blog posted this chart on Thursday, illustrating grade inflation in higher education over the past 70 years:

The New York Times

The red line on the graph above shows how A-level grades have increased since the '60s.

The blog notes this trend has been particularly pronounced among private colleges and universities. But the grade inflation scholars Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy find there’s the potential for much deeper harm. Economix continues:

The authors argue that grading standards may become even looser in the coming years, making it increasingly more difficult for graduate schools and employers to distinguish between excellent, good and mediocre students. More disturbing, they argue, are the potential effects on educational outcomes. “When college students perceive that the average grade in a class will be an A, they do not try to excel,” they write. “It is likely that the decline in student study hours, student engagement, and literacy are partly the result of diminished academic expectations.”

Yikes!