Grade Inflation

I used to subscribe to my hometown newspaper until it ceased publishing maybe 4 or 5 years ago. 

It used to surprise me how many students were on the High School Honor Roll. Many of them were on "high honors." 

When I was in school, 50+ years ago, we had an A honor roll and a B honor roll. We normally took 4 academic classes, and you had to earn 4 A's to be on the A honor roll. One B would drop you to the B honor roll. I assume that any C or less kept you off the honor roll altogether. I never got a C so I don't actually know.

Hardly anyone in my class consistently made the A honor roll (all A's). It would happen randomly that one or two people would be on the A honor roll during a grading period. The first 3 years of high school were more difficult because you took many required courses. Electives were either the college route or the trades (for lack of a better word) route. Trades would include industrial arts, agriculture, home economics, business. From my lofty (snobbish) viewpoint, I considered people taking the "trades" courses mostly did not have the "smarts" to take the college-prep courses. As I recall, there was only one required course senior year. American Problems, what would be considered a civics class, I guess. So senior year was the year when there were more people on the A honor roll. Even then, there were not a lot. Maybe 4, 5, 6. I happened to make the A honor roll at least a couple times during senior year. It helped that I took 5 academic classes that year, and you only needed 4 A's to be on the A honor roll. (Was I on the A honor roll before senior year? Possibly, but I do not recall.)

Seldom did the top students (valedictorian and salutatorian) have 4.0 grade points. It just didn't happen. And there were not multiple students in those top positions. In later years I would read the announcement in the hometown newspaper of the graduating class's top students, and it was not unusual for them to have 4.0 grade points. Plus, there were multiple students in the top spot -- two, three, four, or more.

I would think, These kids are not smarter than we were 50 years ago. How can there be so many on the High Honor Roll? How can they have earned 4.0's? Why are there so many valedictorians and/or salutatorians? Aside from the difference between High Honor Roll (current) and A Honor Roll (historic), which I assume did not require one to have all A's, the one explanation was grade inflation.

When I was in school, 50+ years ago, my teachers used the scale below. Or one very similar. I definitely remember 93 - 100 for an A. When our son began high school in 2001, his school used a 10-point scale: 90 - 100 was an A. The English department at his high school still used the older scale his freshman year. But by his 2nd year, it, too, had changed to the 10-point scale.

Letter Grade	Percentage Range	Description
A	93 - 100	Excellent / Outstanding
B	85 - 92	Above Average
C	77 - 84	Average
D	70 - 76	Below Average / Passing
F	69 and below	Failing

And, while the more lenient grading scale is now used, I think teachers are just not inclined to grade "tough." It's what they were used to when in school. The "everyone gets a trophy" mentality is something they grew up with. Don't criticize, be positive.

Our son was in the "gifted program" 2nd through 5th grades. It was a self-contained classroom of students selected on their grades and by the recommendation of their teachers. The student was selected (usually while in 1st grade) and remained in the program until he started middle school. He was not retested, and I do not know of anyone voluntarily leaving or asked to leave. Our son had a wonderful 4th/5th teacher, same both years. At the beginning of the 4th grade year, he explained his approach to grading. He would use both a letter and a number. Apparently several years before he used only letters, and when some students had C's, D's, or lower on their report cards, the parents had a fit. How can my child have a C or D when he is in the gifted program? In a meeting with the teacher, parents, and principal, it was agreed that the lowest grade on the report card would be B. However, the teacher also included the percentage. The report could say: Science - B - 67. 

This notion of grade inflation is not new. A recent opinion article in our local newspaper pretty much reached the same conclusion I have. The author grew up a few years older than me, and his hometown is very much like mine roughly 50 miles apart.

The News-Gazette, June 6, 2026

Where Are the 'Mingos?

King Charles Visits the USA

Uh-oh. The United Kingdom's national flag was paraded the wrong way during the royal visit to Arlington Cemetery. The Union Jack was mistakenly flown upside down, a breach of flag protocol. The royals laid a wreath and posy at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor the fallen and the military partnership between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Britain's Flag Institute explains that there is a correct way to raise the national emblem. To fly the Union Jack in the proper position, "in the half of the flag nearest the flagpole, the wider diagonal white stripe must be above the red diagonal stripe, as Scotland's St. Andrew's Cross takes precedence over Ireland's St. Patrick's Cross." The Union Jack unites the heraldic crosses of the kingdoms of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland where King Charles reigns, though only Northen Ireland has been part of the U.K. since 1921.

Who'da thunk?

But you can see a difference in widths of the white stripes.

So now we know. 

But that does not explain the mix-up in flags a few days before. A similar flag mix-up occurred earlier where Australian flags were displayed instead of the Union Jack. Before the King's visit officially kicked off, Australian flags were briefly raised alongside American flags on the light posts lining a major thoroughfare of Washington, D.C., the King and Queen's first major stop.

I'm not sure how one could confuse the two flags. Admittedly it includes the Union Jack in the upper quadrant. But beyond that, it is not the same.

national flag of Australia

Erin, Dumped for the First Time

Poor Erin. She's 15, and her first love has left the mountain and gone back to from whence he came leaving her crying possibly for the first time -- but not the last -- over a boy.

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The Waltons - "The Competition" - S4, Ep5 1975

Dubai Chocolate

Back in November, before Thanksgiving, I saw an advertisement for "dubai chocolate." I had no idea what it was. But it looked tempting and chocolate was part of the name, so I was intrigued. I spent the next month trying to find it in local stores. I especially wanted to give it to P and J for Christmas.

Art Mart, a specialty food store, seemed promising. But not there. I researched a little bit on the Internet, and it seemed like Dubai Chocolate could be found just about anywhere -- Walmart, Meijer, Target, grocery stores, candy aisles of drug stores. I looked in all those places. I even found it on the local online Meijer store site with a note saying available and what aisle it was in. I printed this info, and took it with me to Meijer. I presented my printout to an employee and asked him to help me find it. He looked in the aisle that was listed, plus he looked in the candy aisle. I followed him around. He asked another employee who said "It always says available in the online store." I finally gave up.

Sometime towards the end of January, I was walking from one side of the Schnucks store to the other. I came to a screeching halt halfway through the store when I randomly saw a stand-alone display full of Dubai Chocolate. I looked it over, and I do not recall if there was a price attached. But I had already decided that I was going to buy a package if I ever found it anywhere no matter the cost.

The upper left was the package (3.5 oz.) that I purchased at Schnucks. I do not recall precisely, but I think the price was around $8. I snacked on it over several days. It was different, but good. The shredded kataifi (phyllo dough) did not have much of a taste, but it added a nice texture.

Several days later, I found the Dubai Style chocolate bar (3.53 oz.) pictured on the right at Aldi. As I recall, it cost $3.99. I was afraid the chocolate would have a cheap plastic chocolate flavor, but it was good.

Then awhile later, I came across the 3rd chocolate bar (pictured at the bottom) at the checkout counter at CVS. It was the smallest of the three (1.4 oz.) and cost around $12 I think. Wow. That Lindt brand sure carries a hefty price.

I have now given up my quest. 

But wait . . . . . . . .

Just when I thought the hunt was over, I stumbled on another name-brand version of Dubai chocolate. I was at Walgreens looking through the Easter candy to make a couple selections to take to P and J's. There was no price on the shelf. But I consider myself independently wealthy, so I picked up a bag. This Ghiradelli brand (4 oz.) cost $15. I sampled one piece. As expected, it was good.

Conclusion: Dubai Chocolate is good, but expensive. The name-brand varieties are especially pricy.

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Dubai Chocolate is a viral food trend featuring a milk chocolate bar filled with a creamy pistachio and tahini filling mixed with crispy, shredded kataifi (phyllo dough) pastry, inspired by the Middle Eastern dessert knafeh. The combination of rich chocolate, nutty pistachio cream, and crunchy pastry creates a unique texture and flavor that became a social media sensation, leading to imitations and inspired desserts worldwide.

Which Sister?

This picture speaks to me because these are the names of my two youngest sisters.

Two Birthday Parties

Our mother's birthday was in a February. Of course, we always observed it however we could. But we celebrated two "big" birthdays with special parties.

70th Birthday - 1998

For Mom's 70th birthday, we sisters hosted a surprise party. We invited many of her friends to come surprise her at her house. It was a real surprise for her. We told her we were having a family get-together and that we would bring the food.

Shortly after noon that Sunday, people started arriving. That was Mom's first clue. She was especially surprised when she saw her sister and niece walk by the dining room window. We played a trivia game and served a variety of delicious food. So happy our cousin was able to bring our mother's oldest sister.

80th Birthday - 2008

As described by one of my sisters: