The Shock That Stayed: The COVID Pandemic and Its Impact on Assessment

Objective This study aims to explain a sharp increase in average course grades at a large midwestern state university during the COVID pandemic. Methodology The study employed multivariate analysis of average course grades with course–faculty matching and other controls. Results The shock disproportionately affected grades in courses with low pre‐COVID average grades. These courses also retained a larger share of the increase in grades. Conclusion The shock appears to have contributed to grade compression at the high end, with significantly fewer low grades in some STEM gatekeeper classes. However, after 4 years, the overall effect is largely consistent with previous secular trends.