It’ll soon be easier to get an A or B or even pass a class in North Carolina. That’s because the state board of education has changed its grading scale.
To get an A, North Carolina students have to score at least 93 percent. You’ll need at least 85 percent for a B and 69 percent to pass a class. That’s what’s known as the seven point grading scale.
The state received a lot of complaints about it, says North Carolina Superintendent June Atkinson.
“Some parents and some students felt as if they were at a disadvantage when they were competing with students in other states where they did have ten point scales,” says Atkinson.
The new 10-point grading school means a 90 and above gets you an A, an 80 and above a B, and so on. To pass you need at least a 60 percent. That’s nine points below what you currently need. There will be no pluses or minuses.
Atkinson acknowledges there are concerns about grade inflation with the new system.
“However, as we report grades of students, we also include the numerical grade as well as the alphabetical number of A, B, C, D, F. So any college, any business person who wants to hire one of our students, can see the numerical grade,” explains Atkinson.
So they can see whether a student had a high-scoring A or just squeaked by.
The change takes effect beginning with next year’s freshman class. Older students will stick with the current 7-point grading scale.
It’s only mandatory for high school students. Local school boards can determine grading scales for elementary and middle school students.
