Investigating Grading Scales - School Board Management ...



Investigating Grading Scales

Fran Kiker

20 February 2009

In April 2008 in Fairfax County, a parent group “Fairgrade” organized to persuade their School Board to change their 7-point grading scale to a 10-point scale. The discussion revolved around the impact of the current grading policies regarding scale and weight on college admissions and scholarships. The reports from both “Fairgrade” and Fairfax County Schools are online. Since that time, other school divisions in northern Virginia (Loudon and Stafford) have been approached and are investigating changing their grading scales.

The underlying question about grading scales seems to be “How will my division’s grading scale affect my child’s getting into college?”

On the surface, it seems a simple problem: If my child is being graded on a 7-point scale (where A=94-100), wouldn’t he or she be disadvantaged when compared to another child on a 10-point scale (where A=90-100)?

To look at the issue fairly, it is important to put grading scales and their relation to college admission in context of this complex process.

What do colleges consider in the application process?

• Grades

• GPA

• SAT or ACT

• Rigor of courses (Did the student take the highest level of course?)

• Special talents

• Activities

• Performances of previous students from a particular high school

Questions to be answered:

• How does our division compare with others?

➢ In a 1999 survey of divisions in Virginia, Roanoke Co was

one of 59 out of 123 divisions with A=94-100.

19 had A=95-100 35 had A=93-100

5 had A=92-100 1 had A91-100

4 had A=90-100

➢ In 2002 survey of 27 Virginia divisions, the average A=94-100

➢ In a 2009 survey of 6 divisions most comparable to Roanoke Co,

3 had A=94-100, 3 had A=93-100.

[pic]

➢ Grade point averages are also impacted by weighting courses. School systems vary in how many quality points courses are assigned. In all Virginia schools, Advanced Placement and IB courses must be weighted. Some systems also weight advanced or honors courses; some don’t. A 4.0 is an “A” average. Our top students usually have between 4.0-4.3 GPA, the average being beyond a 4.0 by the weighting of the courses they took. Around Richmond, top students graduate with 5.0+, because of the weighting. In New Jersey, there is a school with GPA above 7.0, because they weight a variety of courses.

➢ School systems vary in how they honor top graduates. In our system, anyone over a 4.0 is a valedictorian. Last year at Hidden Valley High School we had 35 valedictorians. In other systems, it is only the top one student.

• What about other states?

➢ Several sources say that 5 states have a standard grading scale: Tennessee, Georgia, West Virginia, Florida, Alabama My contact with the DOE in these states:

➢ Tennessee: requires that transcripts for state lottery scholarships report no more than a 4.0

➢ Georgia: used to have a state mandated system, but went back to school system discretion

➢ West Virginia: requires a non-weighted GPA, except for AP and IB

➢ Florida: has a 10-point scale

➢ Alabama: it is up to the local school system

• Does the grading scale hurt our students in college acceptance or scholarship seeking?

➢ This is a difficult question to answer, because we are not privy to all applicants from other schools to make comparisons.

➢ We do know that our percent of grads going to 4- and 2- year schools is consistent with other systems most like ours.

Other School Divisions to Postsecondary

Roanoke County Schools to Postsecondary

| |Total Percent |

|Albemarle |77.0% |

|Chesterfield | 74.0% |

|Fairfax Co | 91.2% |

|Hanover | 83.0% |

|Prince William | 75.2 |

|Grad Year |Total Percent |4 year |2 year |Other |

|2008 |87% |51% |32% | 4% |

|2007 |86% |56% |27% | 3% |

|2006 |84% |57% |27% | |

|2005 |87% |52% |31% | |

|2004 |78% |47% |31% | |

|2003 |82% |45% |37% | |

|2002 |90% |50% |33% | |

|2001 |78% |49% |34% | |

• What percentages of our students make an A or B in our system?

➢ The percentage of A’s and B’s in our system is above the percentage of A’s and B’s in similar systems:

In similar school systems, A’s ranged from 20-25% of

all grades, B’s were 22-31% of all grades.

In our high schools, A’s ranged from 32-43% of all grades,

B’s were 28-32% of all grades.

Distribution of grades in similar school divisions:

[pic]

Low (F) D Middle (C) B High (A)

8-15% 15-16% 22-26% 22-31% 20-24%%

Distribution of grades in Roanoke County Schools:

[pic][pic] Low (F) D Middle (C) B High (A)

2-6% 7-17% 18-24% 28-32% 32-42%%

• When did we last change our grading scale and what did we learn from that?

➢ Grading scale prior to 1992-1993:

A=95-100 B=88-94 C=81-87 D=75-80 F=74 and below

➢ Grading scale 1992-1993 and after:

A=94-100 B=87-93 C=78-86 D=70-77 F=69 and below

➢ What happened to percentages of grades? In the next six years, percentages of A’s stayed the same and B’s actually went down 3.2%.

➢ A restructuring of expectations?

• So, how do colleges make decisions considering different grading scales?

➢ Comparing to previous students from the same school

➢ Comparing students based on rank in class

➢ Rigor of courses taken.

➢ College admissions offices are sophisticated enough to factor in the difference

➢ Refiguring the GPA

• If we want to study this what should we do?

➢ Do objective research.

➢ Get definitive list of grading scales and weighting from all other divisions.

➢ Talk with college admissions directors

➢ Determine the elements that are important:

our reputation, our expectations, our current success

➢ Get input from our students, parents, teachers, administrators

➢ Anticipate ramifications: student achievement, SOL

performance, graduation rate.

“Grades have long been contentious in education because they are so subjective. Grading scales vary widely among K-12 school systems -- and often within schools -- making it increasingly difficult to accurately compare grades.” Strauss, Valerie. “So many grading scales”, Washington Post Sept. 26, 2006,

Not all grading scales are created equal

Published: December 14, 2008 Richmond paper

Two school boards, Spotsylvania and Powhatan Counties, sent resolutions to the State Board of Education requesting the board develop a state-wide grading scale to “provide equity and fairness for all students”in Virginia.” Here’s a comparative look at 21 localities in our region (Richmond Area)…from Dec 2008 article in Richmond Times-Dispatch.

A B C D FA B C D F AF

Amelia 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-70 69 and below

Caroline 100-94 93-87 86-78 77-70 69 and below

Charles City 100-93 92-84 83-75 74-69 68 and below

Chesterfield 100-94 93-84 83-74 73-64 63 and below

Colonial Heights 100-94 93-87 86-80 79-73 72 and below

Cumberland 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-70 69 and below

Dinwiddie 100-94 93-87 86-79 78-70 69 and below

Goochland 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-69 68 and below

Hanover 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-70 69 and below

Henrico 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-70 69 and below

Hopewell 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-70 69 and below

King & Queen 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-70 69 and below

King William 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-70 69 and below

Louisa 100-93 92-86 85-78 77-70 69 and below

New Kent 100-94 93-86 85-77 76-70 69 and below

Petersburg 100-94 93-88 87-78 77-70 59 and below*

Powhatan 100-93 92-85 84-77 76-69 68 and below

Prince George 100-93 92-86 85-78 77-70 69 and below

Richmond 100-92 91-83 82-74 73-65 64 and below

Sussex 100-93 92-86 85-78 77-70 69 and below

West Point 100-94 93-86 85-77 76-70 69 and below

* Petersburg gives an “Academic Warning” to students falling between 60 and 69.

TOM BOND/TIMES-DISPATCH

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1999 State Survey

From VEA

4 had A=90-100

1 had A=91-100

5 had A=92-100

35 had A=93-100

59 had A=94-100

19 had A=95-100

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