{
  "id": 8894946,
  "title": "This state is taking action against K-12 grade inflation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/this-state-is-taking-action-against-k-12-grade-inflation",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T10:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Chalkbeat",
    "slug": "chalkbeat",
    "url": "https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/21/worried-about-grade-inflation-this-state-ended-no-zeros-grading/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Each spring, teachers in South Carolina complain that many high school students do little schoolwork and still pass their classes due to policies known as \"grade floors.\" These policies require teachers to assign a minimum grade, often a 40 or 50, rather than a zero, to prevent GPAs from being negatively impacted by missed assignments. The South Carolina Legislature recently passed a law banning minimum grades in K-12 schools, aiming to combat grade inflation. This comes as people question what an A grade represents, due to the rise of artificial intelligence in schoolwork and lenient grading policies from the pandemic. South Carolina is one of the first states to address the issue through legislation, following a similar law in Texas in 2009. Studies show that while GPAs have been increasing, standardized test scores have remained flat or declined. Grade floors are a contributing factor to grade inflation, which diminishes the value of a high school diploma. This problem also impacts college-level education, with Harvard University implementing a policy to cap the number of A's given to 20% of a class plus four students. Critics argue that grade floors are hurting students by misleading parents into believing their children are not struggling and leaving them less prepared for higher education.",
  "summary": "This story was originally published by The Hechinger Report . Each spring, Patrick Kelly hears the same complaint from teachers in his state of South Carolina: Too many students, particularly in high school, stop doing any schoolwork. Students know they can pass their classes anyway because of school policies known as “grade floors.” Schools adopted grade…",
  "key_points": [
    "South Carolina bans minimum grades in K-12 schools to curb grade inflation.",
    "Law follows Texas's similar policy from 2009 addressing grade floors.",
    "Grade inflation decreases college education value, as seen at Harvard."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}