grade inflation

noun

Education.

1. the awarding of higher grades than students deserve either to maintain a school's academic reputation or as a result of diminished teacher expectations.

2. a rise in the average grade given to students.

grade inflation

noun

1. an apparently continual increase in numbers of students attaining high examination grades, or the practice of awarding grades in this way

Word History and Origins

Origin of grade inflation¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Many blame grade inflation and an effort to avoid a high school dropout epidemic.

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Many of those older students will have sat their initial GCSEs at a time when grades were being purposefully lowered to tackle grade inflation during the pandemic.

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They also voiced concerns for the future of higher education in the state, warning that this law is likely to drive students away from Ohio’s schools, fuel grade inflation — as faculty attempt to assuage accusations of bias — and create a pathway for the Republican-dominated state legislature to attack K-12 education next.

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And yet this reality is coupled with research indicating that parents think their children are doing quite well in school — possibly because of grade inflation.

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Concerns have been previously expressed about grade inflation at other universities in the UK.

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