Overview:
Grade inflation creates a false sense of equality by passing students without the skills they need, ultimately limiting their future opportunities.
As a high school history teacher, I find joy in creating lesson plans that allow students to view their world through different lenses and make connections between the past and the present. When I watch students have that “lightning” moment of realizing how those in authority distort history to maintain power or gain power for culturally relevant narratives, I realize that I am doing my life’s work. These moments, however, do not appear out of the air, they are a direct result of the advocacy and resistance of those who came before me. As I teach in Chapter 1, in a segregated school in Los Angeles, the Chicano movement and the East LA Walkouts of 1968, among other protest movements, put the switch needed to flip that light. I stand on the shoulders of that organization, and it is my responsibility, along with others working in education, to build on that past.
When I think about my time teaching at my current school, I find that, although we respect those groups with cultural festivals and diversity programs, true equality demands more. True equity requires that we provide students with the academic skills and knowledge needed to navigate the world outside of our school. And while I would blame the failure to meet those needs on larger factors beyond my control—poverty, social neglect, wealth inequality, racial discrimination—that would be a futile exercise for my current students. And when it comes to student life, there is no time for nothing. Instead, I focus on what all teachers have control over, what happens in their classrooms and schools.
In my school and classroom, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of students achieving their potential is grade inflation. Grade inflation is when teachers give students higher grades than their textbooks. For example, if a student does not turn in assignments on time, complete assignments, meet a “D” or better on the rubric, or attend class consistently, then that student should not earn a passing grade. However, due to grade inflation, the teacher still rewards that student with a passing grade. Or a teacher will award a student an “A” even though their work failed to meet the highest standard or allow students to turn in a large amount of work late before the grading period to improve their grade.
Although the reasons for the increase in grade prices are still open to debate – teachers are sensitive, government accountability standards, counselors and administrators pressure teachers, or parents are given enough power to influence teachers – its existence is not in doubt. Numerous studies, such as recent ones from ACT and the LA Times, have proven that grade inflation is rampant across the country and in the city. Whether the inflation is the result of sympathy for the student’s current situation, a matter of external pressure or the ease of raising grades rather than addressing academic and social problems, they offer little comfort to children who are left behind. And in segregated schools, like the one I teach at, the lack of accountability for grades also destroys students’ chances of overcoming the inequities that those in non-segregated schools face.
As the 2022 report from the US Treasury Department and numerous reports from the US Government’s Office of Accountability highlighted, my students and others like them will have a harder time than their white peers finding a high-paying job, opening a business, earning extra money to overcome college or life problems and avoid house arrest or incarceration. Raising the bar for students like me represents another lost opportunity and perpetuates ongoing injustice. How should students improve their reading, writing and listening skills if they know that they are not compatible with passing the class? How will these students deal with the challenges they face if they cannot read, write or listen effectively? How can they expect to be hired to get a good job, keep a job, run a successful business, pass college classes and plan for change if they don’t have smart academic skills? How can students understand their world and the system that often works against them if they cannot process information effectively to make informed decisions? Once out of high school, students who lack these skills are completely exposed to our society’s problems, where resources and support are scarce or non-existent.
Well intentioned or not, the harmful effect of inflation on rates is unquestionable. The problems that low-income students face—poverty, homelessness, family problems, food insecurity, family breakdown, drug abuse—are real and problems that their wealthier counterparts often face. For teachers, dealing with how to best help in such situations is very difficult. Are you burdening these students with their work, which may prevent them from succeeding and may leave them far behind? Is showing up despite their hardships and traumas enough for them to get passing grades? There is no easy answer and often accommodations are needed. However, simply passing students for being in school is not the answer. Schools can be more resilient while providing support such as tutoring, individual help and small class sizes. When I make students accountable for grades in my class, I wonder if my actions are helping or hurting the students. But what I’ve found is that when I raise grades, I’m disempowering instead of empowering, and that’s the opposite of what the previous social movements were fighting for and why I’ve dedicated my life to teaching.
