Grading Scale

Many private schools in the nation use an adjusted grading scale. The scales at public schools are a different letter grade for every 10 points. As for private schools, if you were to receive a 92 percent on that big final; yep, you guessed it, you would receive a B. This has many students talking as they think they should receive higher grades for their hard work, which in turn which translate to a higher GPA and give you a better chance at getting into better colleges. One of my friends lat year had gotten between a 90-92 in every class. in a public school with the honors classes, it would have been a 4.2 GPA. Instead, he got a 3.1 and was not very happy with the grading scale.

The grading scale, like everything, has its pros and cons. Despite the fact that you receive a B for working hard to get a 92 percent, when the colleges look at grades, that's what they will see. It may not be very pleasing when your parents yell at you for having a B in your catholic morality "class", but it will be rewarding when you work harder to get a 93, because that way it basically seals the grade and gives you a cushion.

The best thing about the harder grading scale is that it makes you work harder for your grades and makes you appreciate good grades and all the hard work that comes with it. If the scale was an A for a 90, kids would be satisfied with only a 90, and will not work as hard once they have it. This means that it is easier to slack off and hover around a 90, which heightens the chance of dropping into the high 80's after finals.  Getting a 93 means working that much harder, and when it comes down to finals, its not very promising when you have to get a 114 percent or higher to get an A. This is why it is smart to work harder earlier, that way you're in a good spot going into finals.


http://oakcreek.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/school-board-settles-on-new-grading-scale
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/01/va-beach-school-board-approves-change-grading-scale