Should we be worried about high school grade inflation?

A new study suggests that grade inflation is on the rise in American high schools, and the news media has grabbed hold of the story. The same breed of people who think third graders getting participation trophies is a genuine problem are latching on to the report as more evidence of the decline of American education with headlines like “Everyone Is Special” and “Is Our Children Learning?”

There are, however, good reasons to question the study written by Michael Hurwitz, a researcher at the College Board, and Jason Lee, a graduate student at the University of Georgia. Worse yet, some of the blame for the grade inflation they’re calling out should probably be placed on the College Board itself...