Get ready for student achievement to improve this year — not because the kids are actually performing any better, but because District 150 has decided to lower the grading standards. For decades, the school has employed the traditional scale:
A = 93 – 100
B = 86 – 92
C = 77 – 85
D = 70 – 76
F = 0 – 69
Starting this fall, they switched to this scale:
A = 90 – 100
B = 80 – 89
C = 70 – 79
D = 60 – 69
F = 50* – 59
*Note: The student handbook says an “F” is 40-59, but a handout I recently received from the teachers said 50-59. Either way, it’s unclear to me why it wouldn’t be 0-59. What grade is it if the student earns something less than 40 or 50? Is it not still an “F”?
Obviously, this new scale makes it significantly easier to get higher letter grades, which are the only ones that go on the student’s permanent record and make up his or her grade-point average. It means that students who do work in the 60-69 range will now receive passing grades instead of failing grades. And it also means that District 150 scores will look inflated when compared to other area school districts. Here are elementary school grading scales for some surrounding communities (based on grading scales published on their school websites):
| Grade | Dunlap | Morton | G’town Hills |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 92-100 | 93-100 | 94-100 |
| B | 84-91 | 85-92 | 86-93 |
| C | 74-83 | 77-84 | 76-85 |
| D | 66-73 | 70-76 | 70-75 |
| F | 0-65 | 0-69 | 0-69 |
I’ve searched the school board minutes for some mention of this change to the grading scale and have yet to find it. I’m not the only one who was surprised. The teachers I talked to said they found out about it the first day of school via memo. Furthermore, the teachers I spoke with said they are not in favor of the easier grading scale, nor were they consulted.
So, the question is, when was this decision made, and why?