Fairfield district uses new grading scale


Old

4.0 93-100

3.0 85-92

2.0 75-84

1.0 68-74

0.0 0-67

New

4.3 98-100

4.0 93-97

3.7 90-92

3.3 87-89

3.0 83-86

2.7 80-82

2.3 77-79

2.0 73-76

1.7 70-72

1.3 67-69

1.0 64-66

0.0 0-63

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield City School District soon will have a new grading scale.

The new GPA will calculate pluses and minuses and also expands the range to pass a class. Under the old scale, a 67 was failing, and under the new, a 63 is failing.

Students who achieve high As of 98 to 100 will be able to receive an A-plus in a class and earn a 4.3 GPA for the class. School board member Mark Morris said he was concerned this could deter students from taking Advanced Placement classes in hopes of achieving a higher grade in a less academically rigorous class. However, he voted for the new scale after the board dismissed two other recommendations.

The new grading scale, the third option presented, was narrowly approved, though all board members agreed the old scale needed to be changed. Sharon Ko and Balena Shorter voted against it, and Jerome Kearns, Mark Morris and Dan Murray voted in favor.

The first option was similar to the approved scale, with pluses and minuses, but the scale maxed out at a 4.0 for 93-100 grades. The failing grade in that scale was at a 60 percent, 3 percentage points below the approved scale.

The board also considered a 10-point scale, with 90-100 earning an A. Some were worried this scale would deter students from striving for high grades.

“I believe there’s a difference between a 90 and a 98 (percent),” Kearns said, explaining there needs to be an incentive to achieve higher grades.

The new scale will go into effect retroactively, meaning student grades will be calculated at the end of the academic year using the new model.

Contact this reporter at (513) 483-5237 or kcano@coxohio.com.

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