Grade point averages continue to rise at Penn State, following a national trend that some professors fear could result in all students receiving A's if it remains unchecked.
While the increase each year is small, the average GPA at Penn State has risen from 2.8 in spring 1987 to 3.05 in 2002, according to a report presented at Tuesday's University Faculty Senate meeting.
"I just can't believe that this is happening," said Peter Georgopulos, a professor from Delaware County campus at the meeting. "And if that's not a concern to you, I don't know what is."
The committee could not come to a consensus on whether the increase is because of an improvement in student performance or grade inflation.
"Another possibility is that the increase of GPA over time is a consequence of easier grading by faculty seeking higher SRTE scores," the report said.
Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTE) forms were implemented in 1987, the same year GPAs began rising.
Guy Barbato, associate professor of poultry science, said his most rewarding experience is teaching high school students at Penn State during the summer, with no grades or classroom disruptions.
"I think we have to focus on, 'Are we motivating our students?' " Barbato said at the meeting.
Jim Donovan, a Mont Alto Campus professor, suggested the GPA increase could be from Penn State's rising number of part-time faculty, who he said could be more lenient in grading than full-time faculty.
The report also states that several factors could contribute to better student performance in recent years. These include the establishment of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and the improvement of general education requirements.
The report recommends that officials define, implement and maintain standards for GPA stability "and remedy the situation when it becomes apparent that standards are being compromised and the vision for the institutional standards is not being achieved." The report did not outline how this would be accomplished.
Senators expressed hope that they could work on the issue next fall and that undergraduate education officials will devise solutions to the problem.
The GPA increase over the last 15 years, however, is not unique in history.
In 1975, the Faculty Senate recommended a stronger maintenance of standards upon which grades were assigned, following 10 years during which the number of A's doubled.
Thirteen years of GPA stability followed the Senate's recommendation. That stability ended with the current streak that began in 1987.
The increase is also not unique to Penn State, as most universities have seen a similar trend in the last 15 years. Nationally, GPAs have increased 0.25 points in the same period of time.
