Grade Inflation Is Discriminatory Towards Older Students

[Kathianne]

What a novel and on point law suit!



http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2...ion-admissions

Applicant sues over law school's alleged failure to account for grade inflation in admissions

Submitted by Elise Young on August 2, 2012 - 3:00am



A 3.2 grade point average is not what it used to be.


That's what a Baylor University law school applicant, Michael Kamps, is arguing in a lawsuit [1] against the university, which alleges that by neglecting to account for grade inflation when evaluating applicants’ undergraduate G.P.A.s, the admissions committee did not give Kamps the same chance at admission as it did younger applicants.


In the age discrimination suit, he claims that the 3.2 G.P.A. he earned in 1979 from Texas A&M University is equivalent to a 3.6 G.P.A. today because of grade inflation -- a phenomenon that has been plaguing colleges in the past few decades. Kamps said he doesn't think a legal challenge of this type has been brought in court before.


Kamps said he wants the court to look into the effects of grade inflation, and to rule that G.P.A. is not a valid evaluation standard when significant age differences are present among applicants.

"We have a biased set of standards that is being used to disqualify older applicants," he said. "That's not lawful."

[gabosaurus]

I think he has an excellent point. Grade inflation is a significant problem at universities, particularly those with larger enrollments.
In the current era of rigorous budget cuts, many universities rely on student tuition to remain solvent. Students who fail or make poor grades in courses are less likely to return.
One of the teachers I know from work took a pay cut to return to teaching in high school. He did so when his previous employer, Cal State Fullerton, told him that he had to start giving grades on a curve. Regardless of actual final grades, a certain percentage of students had to be awarded A's, B's and C's.