Controversy Over New Grading Scale

Emily Griffin
News Editor

After many disputes the Fairfax County Public School’s (FCPS) grading scale has been changed to a ten point grading scale.
After many parents of students have voiced their complaints about the FCPS grading scale the School Board debated over the subject of changing the grading scale. FCPS staff and parents collaborated to come , up with a grading scale that works for all. According to fcps.net, the School Board announced on May 7, that the grading scale will be changed to a ten point grading scale including pluses and minuses. This scale will be put into action during the 2009-2010 school year. By using this scale, the grade point average (GPA) should increase for all students, especially for students taking Advance Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and honors classes.

According fcps.net, the Superintendent Jack Dale recommended to put into action the increased weighting for AP or IB courses on all transcripts issued at the end of the first semester of this school year. The increased weights for selected honors classes will begin in the 2009-10 school year. However, it is possible to apply both changes for the next school year. But a delay would eliminate any of the possibilities benefiting some current of the seniors seeking merit scholarships or, honors at admissions.
In January 2009, the School Board debated over additional changes to the schools grading scale by increasing the grade point weight for specific classes. AP, IB and selected Dual Enrollment and Honors classes were given an additional .5 weight or a total of 1.0 added to their GPA for each yearlong AP or IB class the students have taken. Also, students that have taken or are currently taking a semester long Dual Enrollment class will receive and additional .25 weight or a total of .5 added to their GPA. (QUOTES)
Next year all students taking an Honors class will receive an extra .5 added to their GPA for each relevant Honors class. In July 2009, the Superintendent Jack Dale and the School Board will have a list of recommended Honors classes in which the addition .5 will be added the students GPA. However, there has been no verdict of whether the .5 weight for Honors classes will be retroactive for this school year for current FCPS students.
Many teachers think that this grading scale will be beneficial to the students. Long-term substitute for Cynthia Hawkins, Sean Bethel thinks that the new grading is “for the most part it is going to make the grading scale here the same with other counties [grading scales]. But on the low end, they kept an “F” starting at 64, so it does not make it easier to not get an “F” but at the same time it gives you more range for each grade. I think it is a good thing.”
Many students are excited that the grade scale change is going to increase their GPA and they will then have better grades. In regards to how the new grading scale will affect FCPS students getting into college, Bethel commented “I think it will level the playing field so that students in Fairfax County are held to the same standards as the students in other counties.”
However, some people are not happy with the grading scale change. Barbara Conner, from the College and Career Center at our school is outraged that the grading scale has changed. Connor said “I think it is unfortunate [that the change in the grading scale]. I think one of the reasons that Fairfax County has a top ten school system reputation in the nation is because our grading system has always been rigorous and frankly when a student applies to college from Fairfax County it says something about the academic preparedness that that student has had going through twelve years of Fairfax County. Fairfax County parents whined and complained and got the system watered down and I don’t think this helps our students in the next few years.”
Unlike Brethel, Conner thinks that the change in the grading scale will not be beneficial to students applying for colleges. Conner stated that “college’s admonitions folks are going to look at transcripts and they are going to see an “A” and they are going to say, “Is this really an “A” or would this have been a “B” in what we know of Fairfax County. And now it has just been inflated to reflect this new [grading] scale. It will make Fairfax County seem less prestige than all of the other counties and I think it is unfortunate.”