MSU’s fall 2002 freshman class is the smartest yet - based on ACT scores and grade-point averages. However, recently published reports suggest the booming GPAs are a result of high school grade inflation.
Average incoming freshman GPAs have increased from 3.2 in 1994 to 3.55 in 2002. Average ACT scores have increased from 23.1 to 24.2 in the same period. The 11 percent increase in grades outpaces the ACT’s 4.8 percent increase.
The Detroit News reported last week that metro Detroit public high school GPAs are increasing faster than standardized tests as well - which suggests that students are missing out on basic skills needed for success in higher education.
But Provost Lou Anna Simon disagrees that students’ grades have become inflated. She said a decreased enrollment in remedial math classes and an increase in students returning to campus for a second year suggests students are leaving high school better prepared for college.
“Every student (in the freshmen class) is capable on paper of graduation at MSU,” she said.
Simon said the number of applications to MSU has increased in recent years, and with more applicants MSU can choose students more selectively.
She also said students are taking more advanced placement classes in high school to improve their chances with the competitive standards. Because the number of students coming in with advanced placement credits has increased, evidence shows that those students are reaching the national standard, Simon said.
Jim Cotter, senior associate director of admissions, doubts if grade inflation affects admissions. Cotter said MSU recalculates GPAs and considers each applicant’s test scores, class load and their trend in grades.
Dempsey Scott, director of guidance at Okemos High School, said 44 percent of the students there have higher than a 3.5 GPA. Scott said students are now earning the high grades rather than being held back by bell curves.
Casey Harrigan, a James Madison no-preference freshman, said the advanced placement classes he took in high school prepared him for college.
“It makes classes less intimidating right now, but my James Madison classes still seem tough,” said Harrigan. “But I’m ready.”
