According to a study, high school seniors are slacking on homework time but still pulling off high grades - a sign that grade inflation might be taking over.
The study, conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute, showed a 26.5 percent increase in the number of high school seniors who earned 'A' averages. Of those students, 16 percent reported studying for only an hour a week - double the number of students who answered the same question in 1987.
But university officials said it's difficult to measure grade inflation for high school seniors. College admission standards don't change based on the possibility of grade inflation.
"There's certainly a lot of talk about grade inflation," said Jim Cotter, senior associate director in admissions and scholarships. "To assume all high schools are equal wouldn't be a fair assessment."
When applying for college, a student's grade-point average, standardized test scores and the type of classes enrolled in are taken into consideration, said Pamela Horne, assistant to the provost for enrollment management and director of admissions.
"We have a long history of knowing what schools do based on how (their students) have done here at MSU," she said.
Horne said MSU counselors understand the quality of education students are receiving at high schools.
Schools also provide profiles containing standardized test scores, the number of students attending college and other facts that help university admission officials form an idea of how each school functions, Horne said.
Whenever a high school does make a change in its program or grading system, MSU officials contact them.
"If grades take a big jump, we'll talk with that school and see what happened," Horne said.
But the overall grade equalizer for college admissions and honors college acceptance is standardized test scores, Cotter said.
Grade inflation might be more prevalent in some areas than others, but standardized tests allow universities to see how students have prepared, he said.
"It allows us to look at students differently," Cotter said. "It allows us to look at it globally because everyone takes the same test."
