“Grade Inflation” and Program Assessment

We work with hundreds of social work programs each year as they collect and report assessment data in support of accreditation under CSWE’s EPAS. Programs are thrilled when their students’ scores show the highest levels of competency achieved. And, programs are often dismayed when their students’ scores aren’t at the highest levels. Please remember, just because your students didn’t achieve the highest levels of competency doesn’t mean that you’re not doing a great job educating them. AND, don’t be concerned that you’re going to lose your accreditation because of poor student performance.

Program assessment is a required part of the initiation accreditation and reaffirmation process to ensure thoughtful evaluation of current practices, towards the goal of continuous improvement. If program assessment highlights particular areas where your students are struggling, that is helpful. With that information, you can focus your efforts on evaluating where the curriculum, or the teaching of the curriculum, is falling short. 

At SWEAP we are more concerned when student ratings, especially on field instruments, are so high that it suggests the vast majority of their students are performing at mastery levels of practice. When almost all students are earning 4s or 5s (on a scale from 1- 5) from their field instructors, the program should be concerned about grade inflation. 

Social work education is a time for students to develop and practice their skills. They should not be expected to excel after so little time and experience. Social work educators need to prepare their students to be receptive to feedback and constructive criticism. And, administrators need to ensure a clear understanding of expectations for assessment is provided to faculty and field instructors responsible for student evaluation. 

No student, or program, is perfect. Assessment isn’t designed to give everyone a pat on the back. Assessment is vital to informing the feedback loop towards program improvement. 

If you have any questions, reach out to us at: ask@sweapinstruments.org