Maanya Parikh and Lillith Dunn
eSomethin Staff
Imagine you are about to get the results of a test back. You wait anxiously, and when you receive your paper, you see the numbers. 19/20! For a moment, you’re excited. Then you realize, you’re a point off. Just one, but this means a 95% – an A-.
This is the reality of Perrysburg Schools’ grading system, where an A is 95.5% and higher. This is significantly higher than other school in the area, concerning students and teachers alike.
Perrysburg alum and medical student Priyanka Vemuru said that “It just felt like to reach the same standards that [other schools] did . . . we were doing a lot more work.”
This is what led her and her classmates to create a presentation about the grading scale and why it should change about eight years ago. The presentation consisted of research on college applications, time put into schoolwork, the effect on GPA, and mental health, as well as grading scales in other areas.
“I think we compared public schools and private schools and in comparing all those, ours is definitely a stand out. There weren’t really any ones [whose] cutoffs were as high as ours” Vemuru said.
32 other school districts in northwest Ohio average to a requirement of about 92% for an A. Additionally, some schools even have a system in which a 98% or higher is an A+, not just an A.
Because Perrysburg’s grading system is disproportionately higher than other schools in the area, committees of various teachers and parents have tried to change this scale for over a decade.
Amy Farrar, an English teacher at Perrysburg High School recalled that “Almost every single department here said, ‘we agree, [the grading scale] should be changed.’”
Of course, changing the scale is not an easy process. It requires extensive research and a lengthy approval process. Even if the scale is changed, it is likely that most of the students at the high school will have graduated by the time it goes into effect. Currently a three-year study is being planned in order to decide if the scale should be lowered.
Despite the wait, students are eager for the change.
“I want the grade scale changed because personally, a 95.5, getting that in all my classes is kind of a struggle,” remarked Aaditya Ambulkar, a junior at PHS.
This is no small struggle either.
“I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t stressed me out before. It’s definitely caused some late nights,” said sophomore Siena Eggenberger.
This is not uncommon. According to Imed Bouchrika, a chief data scientist at Research.com, “61% of teens admitted feeling a lot of pressure to get good grades.”
According to a 2019 report by the Pew Research Center, “70 percent of 13- to 17- year-olds surveyed believe anxiety and depression to be a major problem among their peers, and this same group . . . identifies the pressure to get good grades as the most significant factor leading to these mental health issues (88 percent said they feel either “a lot” or “some” pressure about grades)” (Inside Higher Ed).
Along with impacting school directly, the high grading scale affects students outside of school.
“It takes time from your friends and family, so having that bit of slack gets you the amount of relaxation . . . [and] peace of mind,” said Ambulkar.
When students are expected to get these high grades, it can consume their entire lives.
Vemuru commented that while Perrysburg prepared her for college it came with a sacrifice. “I did not have time to exist as a person. . . . The amount of time I spent on schoolwork, I definitely missed out on time to explore interests I had.”
Apart from impacting mental health, students say that with a lower grading scale, they might take more advanced classes. Eggenberger is one of these students.
Farrar argued that “if we really are serving students, I feel like we want more students to take AP [classes]”.
On the other hand, there are some downsides to the scale changing.
“I’m actually a little bit conflicted about the change, because I do think that having the higher grading scale gives Perrysburg a more elevated . . . look from society.” said Eggenberger. She also pointed out that the higher grading scale pushes students to do their absolute best on every assignment.
Even during the time of Vemuru’s presentation, teachers explained that they took into account the difficulty of the grading scale when it came to assignments.
Ultimately, it is up to the committee as to what happens next, but Farrar urges them for change.
She asked, “when are we going to consider it not just with a conversation, but with action?”
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