Norfolk refigures what an 'F' is

NORFOLK, Va. - WAVY.com is investigating a change in the Norfolk Public School System's grading scale after we've received complaints from parents about the new "F" rounding policy.

Norfolk School Superintendent Dr. Stephen Jones says he's worked on this for two years, and it provides consistency across the school system on how F's are assigned.

"We are a school system, and not a system of schools," Jones told WAVY.com. He thinks the policy is a means of motivating and maintaining self-esteem, but critics say it's wrong.

All "Fs" below "61" become a "61" unless the work was not completed, and in that case the grade is a "0". Dr. Jones says the plan is to give hope to a student who may have had a bad day, "It says if you work hard you will be successful. If you don't and you skate by with a 61, 61, 61, 61 you get an "F" and you get left behind. The guy who is out there and who's working his butt off, he's going to be promoted, that's the bottom line."

Norfolk Grading Scale:
A = 93-100
B = 85-92
C = 77-84
D = 69-76
E = 61-68 FAILING

All grades below "61", for example a "40" will now be rounded up to "61".

Illyon Jones is a seventh grader at Blair Middle School and is torn on the issue. "If you get a '40' it's an F. A '61' is an F, so an F is an F...what's the difference," he said.

"All this policy does is give this child a chance," said Cynthia Kurtz, who is Maury High School's English Department Chair. She believes in "no zero" grading.

"It does give a chance to recover...the higher grade is averaged in which raises the average, and you can recover from a bad grade...when a child does the work he learns something from it," said Kurtz.

Kimberly Qualls' 11-year-old struggles in school. The two work very hard each night on homework. Sometimes he just doesn't get it, but he works hard. We asked her: "As a parent should your child's grade be brought up to a sixty-one to be the highest 'F'." Qualls paused for about seven seconds, then laughed, obviously torn on the issue. She wants the higher grade of 'F', but realizes the grade you get is the grade you get.

Shena Jones, who is the mother of Illyon Jones, has the same mixed feelings, but in the end the grade's the grade. "That's a tough one. A '40' is a '40'. It's not a '61'. He should get the lower grade and work harder."

That "work harder" answer is what Norfolk Vice Mayor Anthony Burfoot, who was also a middle school teacher thinks. And he disagrees with rounding "F's" to "61".

"I'm opposed to rounding up to '61'. I'm not opposed with giving students another test. Why not do that? Children need to learn and know what they read and what they are learning," said Burfoot.

Burfoot had not heard about Dr. Jones' grade change, which was sent out to area principals, and many parents and students have no knowledge of it. We had to explain it to parents we met today.

WAVY.com looked into other school systems to see if they were doing the same thing. We found Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Hampton are not rounding up failing grades.