Pittsylvania County Schools changed from a seven-point grade scale to a 10 point grade scale beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, and most students rejoiced.
The seven point grade scale assigned letter grades as the following:
100-94% is an A
93-87% is a B
86-79% is a C
78-70% is a D
69-0% is a F
Most students agree that the seven point grade scale dramatically affected their mental well-being.
“I absolutely hated it; I felt like it was a chore to maintain good grades,” Kayleigh Alutenpach, senior, said.
“I seriously felt like I could not miss school even if I was sick,” Amariany Alvarado-Tobias, senior, said. “If you missed one single day, it felt like you were missing a whole month of school because of the amount of work you had to make up.”
“I honestly hated going to school, it made trying for better grades miserable and impossible,” Michaela Pugh, junior, said.
“It was depressing and honestly torture; I know so many people were stressed out about their grades,” Emma Hodnett, senior, said.
Other students agree that the seven point grade scale was generally unfair.
“It did not align with the college grade scale, and it unnecessarily brought grades down,” Alex Smotherman, senior, said. “I spent so much time improving my grades and stressing myself out, especially in French classes.”
“A lot of schools do not use that kind of grading scale, and it is for a good reason,” Audrey Erickson, senior, said. “I remember being so stressed out because I struggled to keep an A and that was really disappointing.”
“I think the seven point scale was unfair simply because other schools follow a 10 point scale so that makes it harder for the students following the seven point scale in regards to scholarships and GPA,” Logan Perry, senior, said.
On the contrary, a few students recognize the positive side of the old grading scale.
“I feel like the new grading scale is letting students get away with not trying and in the future, will make them fail in life,” Makalia Eanes, senior, said. “These kids think they can get away with a D when it would’ve been a F, if you do not try, you’ll end up living in your mother’s basement. ”
“I think it was fair because you got the grade that you worked hard for,” Tara Hatcher, senior, said.
Regardless of the divided views on the old grading scale, the majority of students agree that the 10 point scale is the best grading scale.
“I wouldn’t change a single thing, I love this new grading scale, and it makes it super easy to get an A,” Autumn Cassell, senior, said.
