The proportion of high school seniors graduating with an A average has grown sharply over the past generation, even as SAT scores have fallen, reports USA Today.
In 1998, 38.9% of seniors graduated with an A average. By last year, the percentage had grown to 47%. Over the same period, average SAT scores fell from 1,026 to 1,002.
The USA Today article is based on research by Michael Hurwitz of the College Board and Jason Lee, a doctoral student at the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education.
Writes US Today: “The upward creep is most pronounced in schools with large numbers of white, wealthy students. And its especially noticeable in private schools, where the rate of inflation was about three times higher than in public schools.”
We’re not getting smarter — we just think we are.
Is anyone curious how the numbers play out in Virginia? I sure am.
