By Wade Coggeshall
DANVILLE — In response to growing discontent toward its grading scale, the school corporation here has formed a grading scale study committee.
The panel is comprised of parents, teachers, and administrators from within the school district’s boundaries. School Superintendent Denis Ward asked for recommendations of parents from his building principals.
“I asked for a cross-section of parents,” Ward said. “I didn’t want a committee made up of parents of only high-achieving students. We wanted this committee to represent the demographics of our students.”
The move comes after dozens of parents and students showed up at December’s school board meeting to ask for a change in the grading scale. Danville’s current system, in place for more than 20 years, is on a five-point scale. An A-, for example, is 95 percent; a B- is 88 percent; a C- is 77 percent; and a D- is 70 percent.
“It’s a lot more stringent than some people in the community would like to see us have,” Ward said. “Some of our parents feel our students are at a disadvantage,” particularly when it comes to competing for college scholarships.
Tri-West uses the same grading scale, but Brownsburg, Avon, Plainfield, and Mill Creek are on a 10-point calibration. On that, 90 percent is an A-, 80 percent is a B-, and so on.
“It wasn’t an issue until everyone else started changing (theirs),” Ward said.
If the grading scale study committee determines the system should be changed, they’ll be expected to answer what it should change to and what kind of impact, or possibly negative ramifications, it would have on students and staff.
Though several community members have voiced displeasure at the grading scale, Ward says that doesn’t translate into a groundswell for change.
“With 2600 students (in our schools), that in no way says the entire community wants it changed,” he said. “But there is a sizable group of parents that are interested in seeing it changed.”
Ward also expects residents to come out against altering the grading scale.
“Anytime you take on a topic like this, you’re going to have those who will speak out for it to be changed, and you’ll have those who will say we’re making it easier or dumbing down the grading scale,” he said. “I anticipate that other side will possibly come out during this study period, or they may wait and not say a word until after it’s done.”
The committee has been asked to formally make its recommendations to the school board no later than April 12. Ward says the community will have opportunity to provide input to the committee through surveys and open forums. The names of those serving on the board will be released after the holiday break, he said.
“I’m sure people are going to contact them,” Ward said. “That’s why I’m holding off until after the holidays. I think they deserve to have their holidays free from phone calls at home about this issue.”
wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com
