Latest news with #gradeinflation
Arabian Business
14 hours ago
- Business
- Arabian Business
Abu Dhabi cracks down on grade inflation after private school probe
The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has launched Phase One of a comprehensive review targeting grade inflation and inconsistencies in academic records across private schools in the emirate. As part of its regulatory mandate, ADEK is auditing Grade 12 academic records, including transcripts, assessment frameworks, graduation requirements, and samples of marked student work, to ensure grades accurately reflect learning outcomes and assessment standards. So far, 12 private schools have been temporarily barred from enrolling students in Grades 11 and 12 due to non-compliance. These schools must now implement corrective measures before resuming senior enrolments in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi grade inflation Grade inflation can: Undermine trust in the education system Lead to unfair university admissions Distort school performance rankings Create inequitable opportunities for students ADEK's review was triggered by discrepancies flagged between internal grades and external benchmark exam results through its quality assurance systems. This prompted a deeper investigation into how academic credits are awarded — and whether they align with graduation requirements and real student performance. What happens next: Phase One focuses on Grade 12 across targeted schools Future phases will expand the review to Grades 9–11 Internal grades will be compared with external benchmarks Schools may face escalation or disciplinary action for continued non-compliance ADEK's initiative aims to rebuild parental trust, ensure transparent and fair assessments, and guarantee that every credential earned by a student is genuine, credible, and deserved.
Khaleej Times
16 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Abu Dhabi bans 12 private schools from enrolling grades 11, 12 students amid inflation probe
In a move to uphold academic integrity, the UAE capital's education regulator has temporarily barred 12 private schools in the emirate from enrolling students in Grades 11 and 12. The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge's (ADEK) decision, follows the launch of a wide-ranging review targeting grade inflation and inconsistencies in academic records. The crackdown — part of Phase One of ADEK's new compliance initiative — aims to ensure that high school grades are a genuine reflection of student performance and learning quality. According to ADEK, the review was triggered by red flags raised through internal quality assurance mechanisms, which detected discrepancies between students' internal school grades and their performance on external benchmark exams. 'These measures are essential to protect the integrity of student qualifications,' ADEK said. 'Grade inflation not only misrepresents student learning, it also undermines trust in the education system and limits fair academic competition.' As part of the initial phase, the 12 affected schools must now submit detailed academic records for all Grade 12 students. This includes transcripts, grading frameworks, assessment samples, and documentation of graduation requirements. The goal is to identify patterns of grade inflation, inconsistencies in awarding credits, and any mismatch between reported grades and actual student performance. ADEK emphasised that each student should earn their graduation credential through genuine academic achievement — not through inflated scores or unreliable internal assessments. What's next? The ongoing review will soon expand to cover Grades 9 through 11. Future phases will also compare internal grades with external test results and look at longer-term trends to detect potential systemic issues across schools. Schools found non-compliant may face further administrative action, including mandatory corrective measures, under ADEK's regulatory policy.
The National
20 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Abu Dhabi bars 12 schools from enrolling new pupils in grade inflation clampdown
The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge on Tuesday announced a review to target grade inflation and inconsistencies in academic records at private schools in the emirate. Under phase one, 12 schools have been temporarily barred from enrolling pupils in Grades 11 and 12 until compliance issues are resolved and corrective actions are in place. Adek said schools are required to submit Grade 12 academic records for immediate review. These include high school transcripts for all graduates, assessment policies and grading frameworks, graduation requirement documentation, samples of marked assessments and a full record of all types of pupil assessment. The drive aims to ensure each graduate earns their credentials through genuine academic achievement, and prevent unfair practices that result in unreliable outcomes or inflated school rankings. 'Grade inflation not only misrepresents student learning, undermines trust in the education system and limits fair academic competition,' a statement issued on behalf of Adek reads. 'That's why this review aims to identify patterns of grade inflation, inconsistencies in awarding credits, and gaps between reported grades and actual performance and learning quality.' What next? The next phases of the review will extend to a broader range of age groups, including Grades 9-11, and involve an analysis of internal grades compared to those achieved in external exams. Schools falling short of the required standards may face administrative escalation or be subject to mandatory corrective measures under Adek policy. The process is about reinforcing parents' confidence in the quality of education their children receive, the statement adds.
Zawya
21 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Firm action to address grade inflation and academic records inconsistencies
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – As part of its ongoing commitment to academic integrity, fairness, and transparency, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) launched Phase One of a comprehensive review targeting grade inflation and inconsistencies in academic records across a number of private schools in the emirate, to ensure they are an accurate reflection of their learning experience and quality. This initiative comes as part of ADEK's mandate as an education regulator to guarantee students are assessed fairly and consistently. It aims to ensure that each graduate earns their credential through genuine academic achievement, prevent unfair practices that result in unreliable outcomes or inflated school rankings, and help create equitable opportunities for all students across the emirate. Under Phase One, schools are required to submit Grade 12 academic records for immediate review. These include high school transcripts for all graduates, assessment policies and grading frameworks, graduation requirement documentation, samples of marked assessments, and a full record of all types of student assessments (diagnostic, formative, summative). So far, 12 schools have been temporarily barred from enrolling students in Grades 11 and 12 until compliance issues are resolved and corrective actions are in place. Grade inflation not only misrepresents student learning, undermines trust in the education system and limits fair academic competition. That's why this review aims to identify patterns of grade inflation, inconsistencies in awarding credits, and gaps between reported grades and actual performance and learning quality. Future phases will extend to include Grades 9 through 11 and involve a comprehensive analysis of internal grades versus external benchmark exams. ADEK will also conduct trend analyses to detect systemic issues at the school level. These efforts are part of a broader regulatory reform to ensure that academic achievements are credible, earned, and based on consistent and rigorous evaluation. This is essential to protect the integrity of student qualifications, which play a vital role in university admissions and future career readiness. This review was initiated after ADEK's quality assurance systems flagged discrepancies between internal grades and external benchmark exams. It ensures that awarded credits align with approved graduation pathways. Schools that do not meet the required standards may face administrative escalation or be subject to mandatory corrective measures under ADEK policy. At its core, this process is about reinforcing parents' confidence in the quality of education their children receive. ADEK remains committed to transparent, robust regulatory practices that uphold and protect that trust. -Ends- For more information, visit or follow ADEK on social media: Instagram: @adek_insta Twitter: ADEK_tweet Facebook: Department of Education and Knowledge YouTube: ADEK Abu Dhabi About Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is the Education Sector regulator across the Emirate. It oversees and provides services throughout a learner's journey from early education to university and beyond. It also champions inclusivity for People of Determination in the mainstream schooling system and by providing specialized schools. Across Early Childhood and K-12, ADEK licenses and regulates nurseries and private schools in Abu Dhabi while also legislating, mandating, and managing its own Charter Schools and 2 schools for People of Determination. ADEK also annually provides distinguished Abu Dhabi students with full scholarships and support to study at the best universities around the world. In addition, the Department audits and enhances the delivery of Higher Education in Abu Dhabi, attracting Higher Education Institutions to open the required Program or schools that serve Abu Dhabi's needs while championing a student and faculty-friendly ecosystem in the Emirate. With a vision to Empower Education. Empower Minds. Empower the Future, ADEK recognizes that every learner is different, and a diversity of teaching methods are essential for students to succeed. To that effect, ADEK partners with stakeholders to enable a great education system to flourish in Abu Dhabi and nurture future-ready graduates who have the 21st-century skills required to sustain and carry forward Abu Dhabi's vision.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
I'm Watching the Sacrifice of College's Soul
At dinner recently with fellow professors, the conversation turned to two topics that have been unavoidable these past few years. The first was grade inflation — and the reality that getting A's seldom requires any herculean effort and doesn't distinguish one bright consultant-to-be from the next. Many students, accordingly, redirect their energies away from the classroom and the library. Less deep reading. More shrewd networking. The second topic was A.I. Given its advancing sophistication, should we surrender to it? Accept that students will use it without detection to cull a semester's worth of material and sculpt their paragraphs? Perhaps we just teach them how to fashion the most effective prompts for bots. Perhaps the future of college instruction lies in whatever slivers of mental endeavor can't be outsourced to these digital know-it-alls. And perhaps a certain idea of college — a certain ideal of college — is dying. I keep coming back to that possibility, which seems more like a probability since President Trump returned to the White House and began his assault on higher education. It's not just that Trump sees colleges and universities as ideologically homogeneous, elitist enclaves (with some grounds for that view). It's that he doesn't seem all that keen on learning, period. That's clear in his attitude about experts and expertise. It's clear as well in his megabill. The legislation's increased taxes on endowments, coming fast on the heels of the Trump administration's clampdown on federal research grants, deliver another powerful blow to colleges' coffers. And some of the new conditions on federal loans to students — specifically, that they be used for programs that place students in careers above a given income level — cast higher education in a fundamentally pecuniary, largely occupational light. Ye shall be judged by the salaries of your alums. What happened to college as a theater of intellectual betterment, character development, self-discovery? Easy A's work against that, replacing rigor with ready affirmation. A.I. also works against that: Why spend hour upon hour synthesizing knowledge when a few keystrokes will do the trick? And measuring schools by their financial return on students' investments — an approach that predates Trump's political rise and was, in fact, at the center of the Obama administration's vaunted College Scorecard — occludes higher education's other important functions. Colleges are supposed to nurture nimble thinkers. They're meant to produce informed and enlightened citizens who are better equipped to leaven passion with reason. There's a deficit of those now, as ominous as any budgetary shortfall. I'm not under the illusion that college used to be regarded principally in such high-minded terms. From the G.I. Bill onward, it has been held up rightfully as an engine of social mobility, a ladder of professional opportunity, yielding greater wealth for its graduates and society both. But there was a concurrent sense that it contributed mightily to the civic good — that it made society culturally and morally richer. That feeling is now fighting for survival. So much over the past quarter century has transformed Americans' relationship to higher education in ways that degrade its loftier goals. The corpus of college lumbers on, but some of its soul is missing. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
