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> Though grades have always been lower in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects than in the arts and humanities, graduating from a good sch

> Though grades have always been lower in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects than in the arts and humanities, graduating from a good school with a degree in any major did not use to be a cakewalk. Average GPAs have risen by a full point or more since the late 1960s. Collegeinflation.com shows that at Michigan State, for example, the percentage of As doubled to about 30 percent of all grades from 1963 to 1973 and then rose again by about 50 percent from 1983 to 2013. This is consistent with other research on the widespread change in grading standards nationwide. To be fair, during that same time we have seen an increase in IQ to match[1]. In part this is attributed to better education, better nutrition and possibly the most important removing lead from toys. It's quite possible, that school is just as hard as it used to be, it's just we are smarter. That doesn't mean we shouldn't make school more difficult to match OR potentially graduate individuals quicker. [1] https://www.123test.com/flynn-effect/ https://www.123test.com/flynn-effect/

rjf72 7y ago
You might want to read the second paragraph of your link. It's extremely relevant. Throughout much of the developed world we've started seeing reduced IQs since sometime around the mid 90s. Wiki has a link to a fair number of contemporary papers and other information as well. [1] To be clear this does not mean a decline in the rate of growth of IQ, but as in people having literally lower IQ. I expect one reason we have not seen this reversal more well studied in places such as the US is that we don't have any normalized form of IQ tests. The areas where it showed up first, Scandinavian nations in particular, have compulsory military enlistment which, in turn, comes with compulsory IQ examinations. People in many (and it may end up being all) developed nations are literally becoming less intelligent, at least so far as IQ is able to work as a measurement of. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect#Possible_end_of_progression https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect#Possible_end_of_p...
MisterBastahrd 7y ago
Advocates for "harder classes" also seem to be completely ignorant of the fact that students have far more learning resources than ever before and that the quality of education as it relates to conveyance of course material to students has increased since the 60s. Students have far more access to professors, TAs, and each other than they did in the stone ages.
- alexgmcm 7y ago
  Exactly - the alternative would be that students were doing worse or exactly the same despite having the huge benefits from new technology, teaching methods, resources etc. That would be far more concerning. As a personal example - KhanAcademy launched the year before I went to University and helped me a lot as it meant I could be fully confident of my calculus and linear algebra skills (we studied these topics in Further Maths but not multivariate calculus etc.)

rjf72 7y ago

You might want to read the second paragraph of your link. It's extremely relevant. Throughout much of the developed world we've started seeing reduced IQs since sometime around the mid 90s. Wiki has a link to a fair number of contemporary papers and other information as well. [1] To be clear this does not mean a decline in the rate of growth of IQ, but as in people having literally lower IQ. I expect one reason we have not seen this reversal more well studied in places such as the US is that we don't have any normalized form of IQ tests. The areas where it showed up first, Scandinavian nations in particular, have compulsory military enlistment which, in turn, comes with compulsory IQ examinations. People in many (and it may end up being all) developed nations are literally becoming less intelligent, at least so far as IQ is able to work as a measurement of. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect#Possible_end_of_progression https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect#Possible_end_of_p...

MisterBastahrd 7y ago

Advocates for "harder classes" also seem to be completely ignorant of the fact that students have far more learning resources than ever before and that the quality of education as it relates to conveyance of course material to students has increased since the 60s. Students have far more access to professors, TAs, and each other than they did in the stone ages.

alexgmcm 7y ago
Exactly - the alternative would be that students were doing worse or exactly the same despite having the huge benefits from new technology, teaching methods, resources etc. That would be far more concerning. As a personal example - KhanAcademy launched the year before I went to University and helped me a lot as it meant I could be fully confident of my calculus and linear algebra skills (we studied these topics in Further Maths but not multivariate calculus etc.)