After Perry Township high schools have overlooked the 10 point grading system put into place since 2014, the system is now being implemented in the 2021-2022 school year.

The grading system changes the percent range of an F to 50-60% instead of 0-50% as it was before, making 50% the lowest grade possible. 

Principal Brian Knight says that this change is being implemented in order to lessen the weight of an F on a student’s GPA. He also wanted to change the system to match the township’s policy, which the middle schools have been following since 2014. 

“A couple years ago it came into question on why the high schools weren’t doing (the new grading system),” Knight said. “So that started some conversations last school year and then the world shut down.” 

Another reason Knight encouraged the switch is that he feels that the current system, having been developed 144 years ago, is very outdated and doesn’t support learning in the ways it used to when it was made. 

“It’s a system that’s been used for a long time, and I think everything else that happens in education has changed,” Knight said. “Even over the last 10 years, we know so much more about how people learn. So the strategies and instructional practices we use are different, and we’re also preparing a kid for a very different world.” 

Sophomore Avah Huxley supports the change and thinks that it would be very beneficial to lessen the weight an F has on their GPA. 

“My grades suck right now so the new system would maybe improve them a lot,” Huxley said. 

With the changes this new system brings, Knight thinks there could be the worry that they are now making it too easy for students and basically giving kids points for not putting forth any effort. 

But, his opinion is that a 50% F is still an F and will still negatively affect a students grade, and they will still fail a class if they don’t do the right amount of work necessary for a higher grade. 

Sophomore Aga Zaragoza is also a supporter of this idea because she thinks it will lessen the pressure and stress she feels about one bad score ruining her entire grade in the class. 

“So (the 10-point system) for the harder classes, like chemistry, would give me a better chance of getting a D instead of an F and it destroying my grade…,” Zaragoza said. 

Knight says that this change is not necessarily set in stone. The system will be altered based on how it works initially and will continue to be altered to make sure the system is the best one possible for the students. 

“Know that we are going to continue to look at different options to see if there is something that we feel is a better way to assess students’ performance,” Knight said.