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Public Comment on Grading Scale by Albert Leach

December 3rd, 2013

Good evening board members and those in attendance from our community, my name is Albert Leach Pottsgrove

resident from the Turnberry Farms development. I have come to you tonight to speak about our current gradingscale. As of the 2013-2014 school year, Pottsgrove School District will continue to use the seven point grading scale

with additional weight given to Honor and AP classes taken in High School. Tonight, I asking the School Board to

consider changing our current 7-point Grading Scale to a 10-point Grading Scale with the plus/minus system. Two

questions I would like the School Board to ask itself: Does our current Grading Scale give our seniors the best

opportunity to showcase themselves for college admissions, merit aid based scholarships and acceptance into

honors programs? As well as, does our grading scale provide the best method to nurture our young children into

becoming college ready in the years to come?

When you look at the current trends in College Applications, according to the National Association for College

Admission Counseling, the number of students expected to graduate from high school has increased to over 3.3

million in 2013 and this number is expected to rise through 2016. The number of college applications submitted

per student is also steadily increasing. This combination of more students applying to colleges, compounded by the

limited financial resources caused by the economic downturn, has resulted in fierce competition for admission into

institutions. Moreover, merit aid scholarships and acceptance into college honor programs has also seen a great

deal of increased competition.

To date, the largest study done on Grading Scale was done by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia. This

study was done in 2008 with the purpose of looking into the best possible grading scale to highlight its' graduating

seniors for the purpose of college admissions and merit aid scholarships. Fairfax County Public Schools enrollment

is over 110,000 students encompassing22high schools. Many of the numbers I will state tonight have come

directly from this study. At the time of the study, Fairfax County Public Schools used a 6/10-point hybrid grading

scale with a Plus system.

Table 1FCPS 6/10

-pointGradins Scale (prior 2009) VS Pottssrove 7-point Grading Scale

A

B

93-100

85-92

A

B+

94-100

90-93

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o Of the 45% of colleges that do recalculate applicants' GPA, only 38o/o drop the plus or minus from thegrades.

The Fairfax Study found that the most important factors considered by the colleges when comparing applications

for college admissions were: grades in college preparatory courses, strength of curriculum, standardized admission

test scores and overall high school grade point average.

The Fairfax Study stated that students from schools using a 1O-point grading scale with a plus/minus system vs.

their grading scale prior to 2009 had a higher percentage of student with an A- (3.7) or above unweighted GPA by

L5.4%, as well as, a higher percentage of students with a higher weighted GPA by 17.7%. The Madeira School

District in Cincinnati, OH (2009) and The Madison County School District in Virginia (2010) did similar studies on

grading scales. Both school districts used a 7-point grading scale. The Madeira School Districts study found that

72% of its' students would see an improvement in GPA by changing to a 10-point grading scale. The Madison

County School District found that 82To of its' students would see a rise in GPA by changing to a 1O-point scale. Both

Madeira and Madison County School districts recommended changing to a 10-point grading scale after the studies

were concluded.

These numbers become very important when you look at the requirements to qualify for many merit scholarships

and honors programs. The Fairfax Study found that 33% of colleges offering merit scholarships required a

minimum GPA ranging from 2.5 to 3.9, and 39% of colleges offering honors programs required a minimum GPA

ranging from 3.0 to 3.9, with 3.5 as the most frequently used cutoff.

The last piece of the study I would like to highlight is the Fairfax Study found that from 2003 to 2008,78 schools

across 12 states reviewed changing their school's current grading scale. 75 ofthe 78 decided that a 10 point scale

would make their students more competitive in college admissions and academic scholarship considerations.

Now if we look at the current grading scales used in Montgomery County School Districts (Appendix A)

You will see that 860/o of all school districts in Montgomery County use a 10-point Grading Scale

Table 2

Montgomery County Grading Scales

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You will also notice that out of the schools that use the 10-point grading scale 53% of them use a version of the

plus/minus system in their grading scale.

Table 3

Plus/Minus Grades

:,47% r Yes

:NO

Lastly, I have spoken mostly about the High School grading scale studies, but any change in Pottsgrove's grading

scale would also affect many other students that haven't yet reached high school. According to Stipek, Recchia,

and McClintic ( 992]1, positive academic achievements or failures can affect how "children develop a sense of self-

worth or self-esteem. GPA has an influence on a student's self-esteem. A student who works and strives to earn

that one or two points for a boost in their GPA, has a very difficult challenge at being successful under a 7-point

scale." Thus, according to this study one can conclude that a 10-point scale could have a better nurturing affecttoward many of our younger children.

I would like to conclude with due to the Fairfax County Public Schools Study, the new Grading Scale approved by

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Appendix A

Grading Scale

School Division A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C c- D+ D D- E FAbingron 90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 40-59 39 or below Ionors/AP = .6(,4), .45(B)

rnd .3(C)

Boyettown 93- I 0090-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 7',1-79 73-76 70-72 67-6<) 63-66 60-62 59 or below Honors/AP: . I per year of B-

rr higher, as well as, .05 per

remester ofgrade B- or

nigher.

Cheltenham 93- I 00 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 '73-'76 70-72 6'7-69 63-66 60-62 59 or below Do€s not us€ Weighted GPA

Colonial 90- t00 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-'19 73-'76 70-'12 67-69 (other

then

Eng/Math)

63-66 (other

then

Eng/Math)

60-62 (other

then

Eng/Math)

59 or belorv

(other then

English and

Math)

Honors = 1.0. AP - 1.5

Hatboro-Horsham 97- 100 93-96 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 70-72 6'7-69 63-66 60-62 59 or below AP = 1.5

Jenkintown 90- 100 80-89 70-79 60-69 59 or below No Weight found

Lower Merion 92-t00 89-91 83-88 80-82 74-'19 7 t-'73 65-'10 64 or below JAP= I 0

Lower Moreland 98-100 93-9'7 90-92 8?-89 83-86 80-82 77-'79 73-'16 70-'72 68-69 65-67 64 or below Honors:.075-AP:.15

Methacton 90- 100 80-89 '70-79 60-69 59 or below AP = 1.2

No weight for Honors

Nonistown 90- 100 80-89 70-79 65-69 64 or below Honors/AP = 1.0

North Penn 97- 100 90-96 87-89 80-86 77-79 70-76 65-69 64 or below Honors = 2.0. AP = 2.5

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Appendix A (cont.) Selected Grading Scales Across Montgomery County

Grading S.u

School Division A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ c C- D+ D D- E F

Perkiomen Valley 97- I 00 93-96 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-62 59 or below Honors/AP = Vary weights based

on class and grade.

Pottstown 93-100(GPA

conyersion

table used)

85-92(GPA

conversion

table used)

'17-84(GPA

conversion

table used)

'10-76(GPA

conversion

table used)

69 or below lonors = 1.1%,

\P = 1.25%

Souderton 98- I 00 93-97 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-62 59 or below Honors '-- L25 X course credit XNurneric Equivalent (4.33 scale),

AP = Unknown but weight.

Springfield 97-t00 93-96 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 7'I-79 73-'76 70-'72 6'1-69 63-66 60-62 59 or below Ionors = .33. AP - .67

Spring-Ford 90- 100 80-89 70-79 65-69 64 or below {onors = 5% numerical, AP = 7%

rumerical

Upper Dublin 90- I 00 80-89 '10-'19 60-69 40-59

No course

credit given

39 or below Ionors/AP - 1.0

Upper Merion 90-100 80-89 70-79 65-69 64 or below {onors/AP = .2 per class with

nax of.8 per year.

Upper Moreland 90- t00 80-89 70-'79 65-69 64 or below lonors/AP = l. lolo numerical

Upper Perkiomen 90- 100 80-89 70-'79 60-69 59 or below lonors/AP: L0

Wissahickon 90-100 80-89 70-79 65-69 64 or below lonors = .5, AP = 1.0