Grade scale under review: Parents question if current standards cause disadvantage

A group of parents of Whiteland Community High School students are concerned about the high school’s grading scale, and the interim principal is studying whether it is time for a change.

To earn an A or A- in a class, students need to score at least 91.5 percent. At other local high schools, students need to earn at least a 90 percent.

The group is worried the different scale puts their children at a disadvantage when they apply for college, and last month 17 parents told interim principal John Schilawski about their concern. They wanted to know if students who had lower grade-point averages because of Whiteland’s tougher grading scale suffered when applying for admission to college and scholarships.

Colleges and universities take more than just sweeping glances at students’ applications when considering them for entry. Admissions counselors want to know about how well a student performed in courses, but they also look at how rigorous the courses were, the student’s performance over all four years, application essays and other parts of the application.

Still, Schilawski has started contacting colleges and universities to see whether high schools’ varying grade scales make a difference in college admissions or scholarship offers. He also plans to contact high schools throughout the state, including ones that have recently altered grading scales, to see if they’ve observed a drop or spike in college acceptance.

If Whiteland’s grade scale makes a difference, then administrators could consider a change as early as next year, Schilawski said.

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