Some say the grading process is the cause for a greater amount of high grades. Others say teachers have made it easier for students to get good grades; a phenomenon known as grade inflation.

A.P. English teacher Tim Kindle said, "Teachers care about kids and care about kids' feelings. And we don't like to cause unhappiness in kids, that's not why we're here. What we have to keep in mind is the greater good. The greater happiness comes from giving them grades they deserve, leading them to work hard and develop better habits, and get better grades eventually."

Extra-curricular activities

Many students are very busy and involved in extra-curricular activities. Some believe that because of these involvements, they should be given less work. English teacher Janelle Williams said, "I think we've perhaps lessened the work load that we give them. More kids work today than they used to."

Junior Brandy Mansur, an "A" student, works 21 hours a week and feels that teachers should not lighten the work load just because of that. "Teachers should make it harder to get good grades. There are too many people who just slide by, and that's not right," she said.

Just floating by

Some students work very hard for good grades, but what about the students who just float by? Nearly everyone knows a student who simply comes to class to put in the time, does all the daily work barely at a satisfactory level and gets by with B's and C's. It is argued by some that a student should show some mastery of concepts in order to receive an average grade. Sophomore Brian McCartney, an "A/B" student, said that "you should put more emphasis on testing, as opposed to just getting a good grade on daily work."

What is in store for these students who just float by? Freshman Jenny Grega feels that "they won't have the necessary study habits needed for college." Similarly, McCartney believes that "just passing isn't preparing yourself for anything. You are just cheating yourself."

"The Superior Student"

Much of the problem behind grade inflation, is simply our current definition of a superior student. "Our opinion of what makes a truly outstanding student has gone down from one whoÉdoes a superior job on all the work and does extra work toÉone who does all the work and seems to care," Kindle said. "That shouldn't be the definition of a superior student, that should be the definition of just a solid student, a slightly above average student."

It is difÞcult to not blame grade inßation and still explain how there will be four 4.0 students graduating this year. Kindle believes that "classes come through where there's a good deal of competition among the class members for grades. Kids in that class work really hard and they get good grades, but this can become the focus. On the positive side, they can start developing real good study habits and so they learn. And so in a rather curious way, the desire to get good grades does have the positive benefit of increased learning."

Referring to the class of 1998, Williams said, "I think that it's only a sign of the class and the make-up of the class. I don't think that their grades are inflated."

The problem is obvious when students just breeze through classes getting B's, and C's. Whether that be attributed to grade inflation, teachers being easier, or just a general sense of apathy about learning that students have, is uncertain.

"I would like to think that the knowledge is what really counts, and that the grades are the result of the knowledge," Kindle said. "We need to look at quality rather than steadiness as an indicator of superior performance."