Recent years have seen a flurry of new grading policies that risk lowering academic standards in the name of equity. Although some grading reforms may benefit students, those that water down expectations ultimately harm the students they are meant to help. To the contrary, lenient grading policies risk lowering expectations, and there is evidence that more lenient grading leads to less learning. The Bottom LineThe push for more “equitable” grading policies has exacerbated grade inflation and proffered little evidence of greater learning. Note: This figure represents the authors’ subjective evaluation of the extent to which grading policies are traditional and/or strict.

Source: Washington Post February 28, 2024 05:53 UTC