Grade Inflation Essay

Grade inflation is an issue in our education system that has been around for many years. In recent years though, grade inflation has become more of a pressing issue to students, parents, and educators alike. While many believe that grade inflation is a major benefit to students, other believe that it is a problem that has had a negative impact on our school system and on the mental health of students. Although there are many different opinions on grade inflation, it is clear that grade inflation has a direct impact on student’s mental health and their motivation.

Student mental health is an ongoing problem that America has been facing. While there are many reasons behind it, grade inflation seems to be one of the biggest. In the article, “Rampant

The problem students face with grade inflation is the lack of preparedness for college. This in turn leads to stress and poor mental health in students. Academic stress had been directly linked to poor mental health for those in college and high school alike. In the article, “Grades Are at the Center of the Student Mental Health Crisis”, the author says, “The statistics on depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation rates among college students tell a very similar story. Academic stress is directly linked to these health crises, and grades are a major source of this kind of stress.” (Eyeler, 2022). Eyeler points out that grades on their own are already a major effect on student mental health. Grade inflation only adds to this ongoing stress and makes it harder for students to even want to continue pursuing education. Anna Linder et al. supports this in their

If someone's goal was to make valedictorian, they would want to work as hard as they can to get straight A’s on every report card. Sadly, grade inflation had made many students lose their motivation to work towards their academic goals. In the article “A is for Average (or even Awful)”, the author David Casalaspi writes, “Third, grade inflation can negatively affect student motivation. As students become confident (or even over confident) in their abilities to get a good grade, they are incentivized to study less” (2016). He goes on to say that because students are getting higher now grades for lesser work, they no longer feel the need to try as hard to do their assignments, which ultimately will affect them later in life. Another article titled “How Grade Inflation Hurts Students” also supports the claim that grade inflation hurts student motivation. The author goes on to say, “ A high grade serves as a reward, motivating students to separate themselves from their peers through high achievement. When everyone receives a high grade on a regular basis, the value of the reward sinks” (How Grade Inflation Hurts Students, 2020). Without a goal to strive for, motivation starts to lack in students and can result in some students dropping out of college or high school. This overall hurts students, and higher education in