Grade Information and Grade Inflation

The Cornell Experiment

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4028971
AutoresTalia Bar (0000-0002-4443-8181, Johnson School, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.), Vrinda Kadiyali (Johnson School, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.), Asaf Zussman (Department of Economics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.)
Ano2009
Volume23
Fascículo3
Páginas93-108
Data de publicação2009-08-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoThe Journal of Economic Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0895-3309 • E-ISSN: 1944-7965
EditoraAmerican Economic Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1257/jep.23.3.93
OpenAlexW2049073640
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas24
Referências citadas1

Grade inflation and high grade levels have been subjects of concern and public debate in recent decades. In the mid-1990s, Cornell University's Faculty Senate had a number of discussions about grade inflation and what might be done about it. In April 1996, the Faculty Senate voted to adopt a new grade reporting policy which had two parts: 1) the publication of course median grades on the Internet; and 2) the reporting of course median grades in students' transcripts. The policy change followed the determination of a university committee that "it is desirable for Cornell University to provide more information to the reader of a transcript and produce more meaningful letter grades." It was hoped that "More accurate recognition of performance may encourage students to take courses in which the median grade is relatively low." The median grade policy has remained to date only partially implemented: median grades have been reported online since 1998 but do not yet appear in transcripts. We evaluate the effect of the implemented policy on patterns of course choice and grade inflation. Specifically, we test two related hypotheses: First, all else being equal, the availability of online grade information will lead to increased enrollment into leniently graded courses. Second, high-ability students will be less attracted to the leniently graded courses than their peers. Building on these results we perform an exercise that identifies the extent to which the change in student behavior resulted in an increase in the university-wide mean grade

Biology · Grade inflation · Higher education · Mathematics education · Political science · Higher Education Research Studies · Innovations in Educational Methods · Law · Psychology · School Choice and Performance