If grade inflation was already a pernicious problem, once any semblance of an objective test is removed, the pressure on HS teachers to grade everyone at A+++++++ will increase even further. We are stunting generations of kids by not offering them any feedback on the quality of their effort.

"Nearly half of American high school students – 47% in the class of 2016 – are graduating with grades ranging from A-plus to A-minus. According to the Department of Education, the average high school grade point average was 2.68 in 1990. By 2016, it had risen to 3.38, with the biggest inflation occurring in private independent schools."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2021/08/24/cla...

I understand exactly how easy it is to game standardized tests.

However, I find that I do not know how easy it is to game grades. Perhaps that is equally easy, or significantly easier. For example, can one "game" high school grades by moving to a different neighborhood with a "better" school?