I believe after reading through “The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation” by
Alfie Kohn, that his argument that is a sound one. This is because he uses a lot of good
evidence to prove his side of the argument.
He gives reasons as to why grades might be on the rise. He uses a great deal of statistics and facts
to back his side. In his essay, he cites
Clifford Adelman, a senior research analysis with the U.S. Board of Education,
who says "Contrary to the widespread lamentations, grades actually
declined slightly in the last two decades." There is no evidence that suggests students
have been receiving higher grades for the same quality work. Kohn gives a few reasons as to why he thinks
grades are on the rise. He says “Maybe
students are turning in better assignments. Maybe instructors used to be too
stingy with their marks and have become more reasonable. Maybe the concept of
assessment itself has evolved, so that today it is more a means for allowing
students to demonstrate what they know rather than for sorting them or
"catching them out… Maybe students aren't forced to take as many courses
outside their primary areas of interest in which they didn't fare as well. Maybe
struggling students are now able to withdraw from a course before a poor grade
appears on their transcripts.” All these
reasons are respectable ones to why grade inflation might not exist. Another example that supports Kohn’s argument
is the fact that SAT scores have dropped over the years. In his essay, he quotes Henry Rosovsky,
formerly Harvard's dean of the faculty. He says “The first argument offered in
support of the proposition that students couldn't possibly deserve higher
grades is that SAT scores have dropped during the same period that grades are
supposed to have risen.” This evidence also backs up Kohn’s position concerning
the argument. Overall, I believe that Kohn’s argument is a sound one due to the
fact that he uses factual and statistical evidence to support his side.
