What should it take to get an A? School board changes another grading scale in Lexington

Tates Creek High School, in an attempt to be more successful academically, is the latest in Fayette County to get permission from the school board to change its grading scale to a 10-point scale so that an A is 90 percent, not 92 percent.

Just as Henry Clay administrators maintained a few weeks ago in getting a similar change, Tates Creek Principal Marty Mills and his staff said the revision will help close the achievement gap, increase Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship money kids earn for college, increase Tates Creek’s graduation rate, and provide a greater opportunity for more students to be involved in a school sponsored KHSAA sanctioned sport.

The school board unanimously approved the change Monday.

The Fayette County Board of Education has a policy that sets forth grading standards, but that policy allows school based decision making councils to request a waiver in order to best meet the needs of their students. Area schools that use the 10 point scale — 90 percent is an A — include Henry Clay, Frederick Douglass, Lexington Christian Academy, Sayre High School, Clark County, Madison County, Jefferson County, and Woodford County.

Tates Creek High School’s former grading scale is the most recent grading scale adopted by the Fayette school board for grades six through 12: 92% - 100% A; 83% - 91% B; 74% - 82% C; 65% - 73%D; 0%-64% F.

The 10-point scale approved for Tates Creek is: 90% - 100% A; 80% - 89% B ;70% - 79% C; 60% -69% D; 0%-59% F.

Lafayette uses the scale in board policy. Paul Laurence Dunbar and Bryan Station have switched to mastery learning and operate on a 4 point grading scale.

The new grading scale for Tates Creek High School is in line with college level grading scales, and students will be more competitive with other high schools for scholarships based on grade point average.

The change in grading scale addresses a percentage of the failure rate school wide and attempts to close the achievement gap between black students and students with disabilities and other students, according to a document from Tates Creek High staff.

In the fall of 2019, there were 120 courses at the high school in which a student failed, earning between a 60 to 64 percent.

The 10-point scale would lower the school’s retention rate and improve the graduation rate as well. In terms of athletics, the scale levels the playing field for students in regards to high school tryout eligibility, school staff said.

Officials said the change also provides a better eligibility opportunity for student athletes registering with college eligibility clearinghouse organizations such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 4:42 PM.