Exploratory Examination of Grade Inflation 1 An Exploratory Examination of Grade Inflation at The University of Georgia Paper Presented at the 2005 AIR Forum

This study examined the change in term grade point average (GPA) from 1974 through 2004 for 368,282 undergraduate student records at a large, research-extensive university in the Southeast. Descriptive analyses showed an increase in term GPA and average SAT scores over the 31-year period. Although average SAT and GPA increased, standard deviations decreased. To examine possible factors related to predicted GPA, linear regression models were developed for each year 1984-2004. (years 1974-1983 were not included due to missing data.) Regression analyses found SAT and receipt of the HOPE scholarship, gender, race, and college of major to play a role in predicted GPA, and contributions of some of these variables varied widely over the 21-year period. While preliminary findings indicate the contributing nature of these variables to the change in GPA, the adjusted R square values are relatively low. Other factors such as changing student and faculty demographics, teaching pedagogy and technology in the classroom may likely be important contributors that were not included in this study