LSU professors are giving out As and Bs like the candy corn you’ve been trying to get rid of since last Halloween.
In 2013, 88 percent of LSU freshman maintained a 3.0 GPA or higher. The number of students with As and Bs has gradually increased by 20 percent since 1998, according to an analysis by LSUReveille.com.
These statistics mimic national trends showing a steady increase of grade inflation in universities and colleges over the last 30 years.
The University’s decision to use a plus/minus grading system harms students in the competitive post-graduation environment rather than helping them.
Grade inflation allows universities without plus/minus systems in place to continue to award As and Bs to students whose GPAs will rank higher than students with A- or B- minuses.
To create a more competitive environment in higher education, the university and college grading system must undergo reform. Otherwise, individual institutions reforming their systems to decrease grade inflation will harm their graduates in the competitive graduate school application process and job market.
A uniform, calculated reform of the college grading system could create a better meritocracy in the job market as outstanding students would receive As and good students would receive Bs. With current grading, both students may receive As, making it harder for employers to differentiate between the two candidates.
Advocates of the plus/minus grading system cite this as the reason the University’s administration approved the change. However, they overlook the nationally inflated grading system.
For example: Job Candidate No. 1, who made borderline As, received a 4.0 at one school while their competition, who attended LSU, made the same borderline As but maintained a lower GPA than Job Candidate No. 1. Assuming that other qualities match up and the two candidates are neck and neck in the hiring process, Job Candidate No. 1 will most likely get the job over the LSU student.
While grade inflation may not haunt all of LSU’s colleges currently (I’m looking at you, College of Engineering), the plus/minus system will put a stop to that. Professors who previously gave borderline As may feel the pressures their students are under post-graduation and adjust their grading upward, further inflating grades.
The solutions to the problem will not be pretty. Any reforms would need systematic changes in the method of grading, rather than instructing professors to treat a C as a true average among the class.
Grading on the bell curve is one unpopular solution. This way only the true top ten percent of the class receive As. The problem is that bell curves tend to turn puppies into wolves, hindering a friendly learning environment.
With the bell curve out of the equation, economist Tim Harford’s solution is the next best option: treat grade inflation like price inflation. As the price keeps inflating, move the price up. Likewise as more students receive As, move the highest possible grade up: A pluses, A*, A**, etc.
Whatever the solution, LSU’s plus/minus system ignores the problem of grade inflation. If a national reform movement begins within the grading system, our costly overhaul to switch to plus/minus will be worthless.
In the face of looming budget cuts, LSU’s administration has failed to think of the long-term consequences grade inflation will inflict on its students and committed to a grading system that will ultimately harm student competitive advantage post-graduation.
Justin DiCharia is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Slidell, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @JDiCharia.