Edpresso: Deflating the Potential for Grade Inflation

March 28, 2007
Deflating the Potential for Grade Inflation (Brett Pawlowski)
I’ve argued elsewhere that we should begin to treat students as customers, not products, of the system. This invariably raises questions about grade inflation – “if students are customers, and have the ability to take their money elsewhere,” the argument goes, “then they’ll use that newfound leverage to demand higher, undeserved grades!”

And you know what? Based on the way the system has been managed to this point, that’s exactly what would happen. In fact, it’s already happening: this press release, for example, highlights the widening gap between reported grades and NAEP scores, while this article showcases the gap between reported grades and performance on state tests.

But it doesn’t have to be that way; in fact, one simple change has the potential to flip the entire dynamic to make the most challenging schools the most desirable.

That change is independent assessment.

More here: http://www.edspresso.com/2007/03/deflating_the_potential_for_gr.htm