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Schools' Grading Scales Vary: Differences Can Add Up in Scholarship Money

Posted on: Monday, 30 January 2006, 12:00 CST

By Joy Campbell, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.

Jan. 30--A look at grading scales across the region shows that some students can earn A's with a grade of 90, while others need to hit 92, 93 or 94 to claim the top grade.

The grading differences may not matter within the school walls, but the points add up when students are earning state scholarship money.

"If a school has a grading scale of 92-100 for an A and another school has 90-100, it stands to reason, the school with the lower grading scale would probably have more students earning A's," said Rebecca Gilpatrick, KEES program coordinator at the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, the agency that administers state scholarships. "It's a numbers game."

Gilpatrick said she talks with a parent about the grading scale issue about every month or so.

"I basically explain the way the KEES award system works and tell them that it's really a policy decision for the local school council or school board," she said.

In Daviess County, which has the most rigorous grading scale, Superintendent Tom Shelton said the administration and board support the school councils' grading measurements.

"I have heard from parents on my advisory council and from others that ask why we wouldn't lower them because of the potential impact on scholarships," Shelton said. "We don't feel like lowering our grading scale is the right approach."

Shelton said the district is on the right path given the emphasis on increasing rigor in high schools.

Other districts also support the more challenging grading scales.

Kentucky students can earn a Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship award based on their grade point average for each year of school. Minimum qualification for the base award is a 2.5 GPA for at least one year of high school. Scholarship amounts range from $125 to $500.

Bonus awards also are built into KEES for students who have earned at least one base award and score 15 or above on the ACT. Those bonus scholarship awards range from $36 to $500.

Schools must convert the GPAs to a 4-point scale when reporting them to the KHEAA. Students who complete advanced placement or international baccalaureate courses may earn additional points.

At OHS, the grading scale is 93-100 for an A, 84-92 for a B, 70-83 for a C, and 60-69 for D; below 60 is failing.

Despite that level of difficulty, students and parents don't complain about the scale, Guidance Counselor Jane Prince said.

At least they haven't complained in the last three years. That's when OHS added another grading scale that kicks in at the end of the semester when grade point averages are calculated.

"Students can get a boost for earning a B+ or C+, which means they get a boost in KEES scholarship money," Prince said. "Students really like this."

With that system, a student who earns a 91-92 at OHS would get a 3.75 instead of a 3.

Prince said school officials want to give students as much help as possible in earning scholarship money.

Since KEES was implemented, there has been some concern about the wide disparity in how GPAs are calculated. But so far, the issue hasn't generated a great cry for legislative intervention.

"There hasn't been a move to mandate statewide, standardized grading scales, but the state board has talked about the issue and knows of the concerns," said Lisa Gross, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education.

The grading scale issue can create dilemmas for students, said Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates.

"I know that in Owensboro and Daviess County schools, you are serious about reforming high schools," Brooks said. "Students are faced with so many demands from so many sources. ... How do you balance the need for a high GPA to get students into college against the need for rigorous preparation so they can do well once they get to college?"

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Copyright (c) 2006, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.

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Source: Messenger-Inquirer

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