Critique Of Primack's Argument

• Primack sets the base for his argument by presenting a personal situation about the student who asked why the received a “low” grade when they truly didn’t deserve it. He then states his own situation when he was a student and that he himself would have craved such a good grade. He then begins to quote political officials, such as Senator Hank Brown who said “under the current systems at a lot of schools, there is no way to recognize the difference between an outstanding job and a good job”, and Rojstaczer who says “I was teaching worse, but the student response was much more positive” to explain his reasons for decreasing the students workloads. He then states percentages, dates, comparisons of fact, along with a counter argument to strengthen his own argument.
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In Primacks argument he includes a counter argument and why the counter argument would also be valid.

This is something I would like to take away and infuse into my own writing, because I normally rely on facts to sway my reader, but I now see that presenting an opposing view can prove that one’s own argument would be strong enough to stand against doubt. It is like testing the foundation of a home you build yourself, how will you know if it is strong if the wind doesn’t blow? I would also like employ the pattern Primack uses to present his evidence. He layers facts along with quotes from the personal accounts of individuals who have an understanding of the topic, so it makes their words relevant. I feel as though this creates an argument that appeals emotionally, is relevant, and supported by accurate

facts.
• I am 90% convinced that grade inflation is in fact a real thing , and that the style of teaching and workload levels directed towards students has decreased, and in the opinion of some professors it has a negative impact on the overall education quality of students. The one issue I have with his argument, the same issue I had with Rosjstaczers argument, is that there is no evidence proving that grade inflation has in fact negatively impacted the study habits or intelligence of student. Providing test scores of current students or comparisons that show low test but high overall grades, or anything to show that the students are somehow lacking education wise due the inflation. His argument does prove that the inflation is happening, but there is no proof that the situation is negative or that the changes of the institutions grading has benefits.
• I believe the point of Primack’s argument is for the reader to acknowledge that grade inflation is in fact happening, and that even political officials and professors are acknowledging that from their points of view it has negative impacts on the education of students. He also implies that changing the guidelines that help increase inflation will increase the worth ethic of students meaning they will “Earn” or “Deserve” their grades.
• While I know have a better understanding of the impact of grade inflation with the comparisons and statistics Primack provided, and his quotes from the people closely related to the topic do appeal to logic and emotion, I am still not convinced of its negative effects. In my opinion both writers arguments are similar to the “A first and then B occurred, so A must be the cause of B”. Just because grade inflation has been on the rise, that does not automatically mean that all students will become lax in their studying or the amount of effort they put into their classes. Individual’s work ethic, motivation for being in college in the first place, upbringing, and own personalities play a part in the path they take to achieve their grades.