THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 2, 1996 TAG: 9601310165
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
A grading scale survey for students in middle and high schools in Portsmouth is being done at this time.
A possible change could have an effect upon the athletic eligibility of many students at the three senior public high schools.
Since eligibility for fall sports is determined by the present grading period (grades in June), any changes that might result from the survey would not be felt by athletic teams until next year at mid-semester.
Currently athletes must maintain 1.7 grade point averages to participate in sports. In September the minimum will be elevated to 2.0.
As in other cities in the state, students must pass five subjects to be eligible. However, Portsmouth has an additional requirement that those with two failing grades cannot play.
An 18-member committee under the chairmanship of Pat Fisher, director of curriculum and instruction in Portsmouth schools, will study forms that have been sent to all students, parents and teachers.
Basically, the forms state the School Board is considering a change in the grading scale now being used.
Students are being asked if they believe the School Board should change the current grading scale. They also were asked to indicate if they favored one of four scales in use in other cities in the area or if they favored another.
There is a growing concern that surrounding school divisions have grading scales that are lower than the current one used in Portsmouth. Therefore, not only are Portsmouth athletic teams placed at a disadvantage but there is a feeling that Portsmouth students are being placed at a disadvantage when seeking college scholarships.
The current grading scale in Portsmouth requires 95-100 for an A, 86 to 94 for a B, 76 to 85 for a C, 70 to 75 for a D and below 70 is failing.
Contrast this with Newport News, which has a scale of 92-100 for an A, 83 to 91 for a B, 74 to 82 for a C, 65 to 73 for a D and below 65 for an F. Some other school systems are using a scale of 90-100 for an A, 80-89 for a B, 70-79 for a C, 60-69 for a D and below 60 for failing.
Chesapeake and Virginia Beach are slightly under Portsmouth's requirements. Norfolk has lower requirements for A's and B's.
There's little doubt Portsmouth athletics already have been impacted by a higher grading scale.
Numerous athletes who would have been eligible a year ago could not participate when the minimum requirement was raised to 1.7 this school year. Poorer records are now held by virtually every team.
Certainly winning or losing games in high school is not a measuring device for determining how grading scales should be set in a classroom. But it does seem if teams are going to compete across the area, a consistent grading pattern should be adopted. by CNB