Features Editor
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| Comparison of the grading scales |
In August the North
Carolina State Board of Education approved plans to slowly integrate the
10-point grading scale in the 2015-2016 school year. The scale was only to be
applied to incoming freshmen, the class of 2019. Additionally, it was decided to
reduce the weight of extra points or “quality points”, which are added to
students’ GPA by taking AP and honors courses. Honors classes currently receive
one extra “quality points” and AP courses receive two; the change would reduce
the points by one half, honors receiving half a point, and AP receiving one
point, this change will not affect current high school students.
There was
controversy when it came to the grading of courses taught to a variety of grade
levels. It would mean that while a sophomore fails a class with a 68, a freshman
could pass with a 60. This caused the school board to reconsider their
implementation plans. Which resulted in the new decision to apply the new
grading scale to all grades.
There are
positive and negative sides to this change. It would be reasonable to assume most
students’ GPAs would benefit. The change would also simplify grading for the
teachers. This would also help students to be have more competitive GPAs when
applying to colleges. However, students who have been scored on the 7-point
scale for an extended period of time, for example the class of 2016, might be hurt
when it comes to applying to colleges. College admissions offices around the
country might not realize that the GPA of applicants from North Carolina is a
combination of three years on the 7-point grading scale and one year on the
10-point grading scale. This has the potential to be detrimental to students
applying to out-of-state colleges who would not be as familiar with the
changes. There is also concern that it could affect current class ranks, but
the Board of Education is confident that the state, along with PowerSchool, can
handle this change.
North Carolina
will begin using the 10-point grading scale at the start of the 2015-2016
school year. The switch will only affect grades from that year, not from
previous years.
