VB school board to discuss grade scale

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Virginia Beach school board members are discussing whether or not to change the current grading scale to make students more competitive for scholarships and other perks.

"If the end result means higher grades in another school division with the same amount of work and the same quality of work, there's a fairness issue," said Board Chairman Dan Edwards.

The current six point scale awards an A from 94 to 100. WAVY.com checked and it mirrors other districts in the region. The proposed 10 point scale would look like this A 90-100, B 89-80, C 79-70, D 69-60, E 59 and below.

To minimize competition with neighboring districts, Edwards said Beach board members petitioned the state to standardize grading in June.

"We strongly feel the state should set a standard across the commonwealth for grading, so you don't end up with one school division trying to adjust their standards to have an advantage over another school division," Edwards said.

WAVY.com contacted a spokesperson with the Board of Education. The state doesn't want to have anything to do with what it considers a local call. In 1987, Henrico County made the first request. The issue was studied and it was determined grading scales are a local district decision.

Spotslyvania County schools got the same response last year.

Beach board members plan to hold a series of public hearings before any decision is made.

The superintendent said he would begin work this week on a time line for a plan to vote by early 2010.

It's a move that gets an "A" for Mark Pearson. He's got a 3rd and 5th grader in the district. "I hope they ask the teachers a lot of questions because there's a lot more information you can get from them being with your child all day long," Pearson said.

This is a developing story. Stay with WAVY.com and WAVY News 10 for the latest.