---
title: "The Impact of Grade Inflation: Why Not All ‘As’ Are Created Equal"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/15534178-6a7d-47bc-946b-9c62e8d80384
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/the-impact-of-grade-inflation-why-not-all-as-are-created-equal-2723978
category: "Tutoring"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
segment: "Tutoring"
topics: ["Operations"]
published: 2023-10-19T14:09:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:13:57.747Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/5e16a09f4ec392b12aa600b983f2a2514416.jpg
---

# The Impact of Grade Inflation: Why Not All ‘As’ Are Created Equal

**TL;DR:** Sylvan provides a solution for parents to understand their children's academic abilities through the Sylvan Insight Assessment, offering a more realistic view of their children's academic standing. The assessment helps address the issue of grade inflation, which can be detrimental to students in the long run.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2023-10-19. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/the-impact-of-grade-inflation-why-not-all-as-are-created-equal-2723978).*

## Story

While everyone loves when they or their kids get good grades, easy grading practices can be surprisingly detrimental to students in the long run. With many colleges now removing standardized testing requirements, it won't be unusual for students to graduate from high school, thinking that they're prepared for college or the workplace. Only when they're faced with real-world expectations do they realize that they weren't nearly as ready as they thought.

For those looking to get a better understanding of how their children are really doing, Sylvan provides a solution in the Sylvan Insight Assessment, which gives a more realistic view of how students measure up academically compared to the skills they should know at their grade level. This allows students to address areas for improvement effectively and ensures they are prepared for higher education.

- The report card isn't telling the whole story.
- Schools were offering grace, and giving more points for effort.
- However, this has led to lowering expectations for each grade until they think most kids are caught up.
- The problem is that parents think their kids are doing great.
- If you're told that, you have every reason to believe that it’s true.

According to Sylvan’s 2023 Quantitative Research Analysis survey, the top educational goals reported by parents were very grade-focused:
- 37.8% of parents surveyed said their main goal was for their children to achieve average grades or better
- 32.2% of parents hoped their children would achieve grades that set them up for college or a career
- 28.5% of parents prioritized the goal of their child achieving a spot in the top 10% of their class

While these parents all want their children to succeed, the problem is that inflated grades are not a reliable indicator of a child’s success. This is where Sylvan Learning can help. Sylvan can provide a neutral third party assessment that informs parents how their children are doing against both the skills being assessed and in comparison to their peers.

The Sylvan Assessment subtly adapts to each child’s ability as they take it, providing them with just the right level of challenge and pinpointing both their strengths and the exact areas for improvement they should focus on moving forward.

This access to neutral third party results is vital and provides families with a more accurate picture of their child’s progress, because, unfortunately, grade inflation may skew the picture they receive from school.

For example, while COVID kept students out of school, 38.4% of parents surveyed by Sylvan believe their child excelled during the pandemic and is now receiving better grades than before. The problem stems from the accuracy, or lack thereof, of this perception, and perhaps this is merely a reflection of the grace that has been offered to students during an unprecedented time. However, these grades are typically the only source of information parents are referring to when trying to understand their child’s progress.

Grade inflation undermines the students' sense of their own skill levels. Kids want real feedback just like adults do when they're trying to learn or accomplish something. They'll feel cheated if they realize that they've had inflated grades all along, especially if they're a college freshman who has just realized they’re not as prepared as they thought they were.

The Sylvan Assessment offers families a realistic overview so that students can ensure they are prepared for higher education. The opportunity to address areas of improvement provides students with a genuine, well-deserved sense of self-confidence and the resilience they need for a successful future.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- General (sector)
- grade inflation (topic)
- academic assessment (topic)
- Sylvan (company)
- education goals (topic)
- parental understanding (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/the-impact-of-grade-inflation-why-not-all-as-are-created-equal-2723978). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/15534178-6a7d-47bc-946b-9c62e8d80384).