As evidenced by the volume of commentary on grade inflation, our society is deeply interested in the role of grades in secondary and higher education.  When reflecting on grade inflation, many writers comment on the following:

• Socioeconomic and political conditions that might indicate causes, such
  as the military draft, affirmative action, or consumerism
• Changing characteristics of student populations, including gender, age,
  and ethnicity
• Changing characteristics of faculty populations, such as increasing
  numbers of faculty adjuncts
• Accountability of students and/or faculty
• The role of student teaching evaluations 

The sources we list here contain representative commentary on the causes or implications of grade inflation.  Sources are presented in reverse chronological order.  Links have been included where possible.  You can email any additional sources to ellbogenctl@uwyo.edu, and we will consider inclusion on the site.

Government Analyst Says Shoddy Statistics Tell a False Tale About Higher Education by David Glen (The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 21, 2006)

Clifford Adelman, a senior research analyst at the U.S. Department of Education, critiques embracing shoddy statistics to advance claims about grade inflation and other matters in higher education.
 

Grade Inflation and Student Individual Differences as Systematic Bias in Faculty Evaluations by Marie-Line Germain and Terri A. Scandura (Journal of Instructional Psychology, Vol. 32, No. 1, March 2005)

Germain and Scandura suggest that bias in faculty evaluations results from individual differences in the student population, such as gender and ethnicity, and also from grade inflation, which results from instructors who exchange acceptable grades for acceptable evaluations.
 

The Dea(r)th of Student Responsibility by Holly Hassel and Jessica Laurey (College Teaching, Vol. 53, No. 1, January 2005)

Based on their survey of more than 1100 students, Hassel and Laurey argue that declining student accountability and performance (of which grade inflation is a symptom) can be remedied by institutional changes in higher education.  The link provides access to a full text pdf file published on the University of Wisconsin--Marathon County site.
 

A Perhaps "Politically Incorrect" Solution to the Very Real Problem of Grade Inflation  by David L. Martinson (College Teaching, Vol. 52, No. 2, March 2004)

Starting with the assumption that grade inflation is a reality, Martinson contends that the current method for evaluating instructors is largely to blame.  The link takes you to an abstract of this article.  UW users can access a full text version by using the library database.
 

Grade Inflation:  Metaphor and Reality  by Richard Kamber and Mary Biggs (Journal of Education, Vol. 184, No. 1, 2004)

Kamber and Biggs discuss the metaphor of grade inflation and, in the end, recommend a return to grading on the normal curve.  The link takes you to the Journal of Education site.  UW users can access a full text version by using the library database.
 

Evaluation and the Academy:  Are We Doing the Right Thing?  Grade Inflation and Letters of Recommendation by Henry Rosovsky and Matthew Hartley (American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2002)

In this frequently-cited report, Rosovsky and Hartley discuss the concept of grades, summarize the findings of several studies that report a rise in grades, and propose several causes of inflation.
 

The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation by Alfie Kohn (The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 8, 2002)

Kohn is the most outspoken opponent of those who argue for the reality of grade inflation.  He criticizes the finding of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences report and attacks the assumptions of grade inflation.
 

Grade Inflation:  It's Time to Face the Facts by Harvey C. Mansfield (The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 6, 2001)

Mansfield, a professor of government at Harvard University, is outspoken in his belief that grade inflation exists. He links with the emphasis on students' self esteem and affirmative action.  The rise in grades at Harvard is one of the major factors in widespread media attention to this issue.

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