Grading scale deserves an F

The implementation of the new OPS grading scale has caused a lot of backlash in addition to its approval. Teachers and students have formulated differing opinions on the effects of the altered way of grading. The reasoning behind the change was that the school board believed it was too easy for some students to put in a minimal amount of effort and gain a higher grade than that which reflected their actual work. It was said that an A could be easily earned while a student was putting in the effort that a B would optimally be rewarded by. For this reason, the school board took away the student’s abilities to earn minuses and raised the grade point averages for each letter grade by .25.
High schoolers are feeling this change in an extremely detrimental way. For a multitude of students, this change has not only declined their GPAs but also their self-esteems. In an effort to stabilize and more accurately project a student’s efforts, it has been made exponentially harder to do better in school. Students of all grades have recognized this situation and have been forced to at least attempt to transition along with the requirements of this altered grading system. “I think it can really affect a student’s confidence when they put forth an extreme effort, just to not get very far” junior student Abbey Craig said, “the new grading scale seems to help keep students average and keeps more from failing, but doesn’t allow many to excel”.
Although students may believe that the heightened restrictions cause problems, an abundance of teachers think otherwise. Some feel as though it better represents how they were graded when they were younger. They are able to weigh assignments as they see fit so it gives teachers more control, but it challenges students to a point where stress from the increased difficulty of earning grades overpowers their work.
There are contrasting viewpoints to the situation, but overall, it is harder for students to earn better grades with this grading system. Teachers can weight assignments so that they are worth more than one formative or summative grade which puts more individualized pressure on each assignment. The requirements for all of the letter grades have been raised which is intimidating to students who have been coasting along with the previous standards.
Overall, the school board has got what they wanted. It is not “easy” to earn an A or B in any given class and students must apply themselves, but this has always been the case. The already difficult grading scale has become increasingly intense and has hurt the OPS student body rather than helped them. Students aren’t encouraged to try harder, yet are pressured to achieve unrealistic standards set by the authorities. It is a cause for stress and a lack of confidence but has yet to prove itself as a motivating factor. It’s nearly impossible for students to actually succeed in this battlefield of constant memorization and lack of retention that we call high school.