District will review high school grading system

The grading system at Sisters High School will be reviewed during the next few months, apparently for the first time since it was instituted in 1992. Some parents don’t like the system. They think it puts their children at a disadvantage compared with students at other high schools around the state.

School Board Chairman Glen Lasken put the subject on the board’s May 9 meeting agenda, explaining that he had received several complaints about it during his service on the board.

Lori Hancock, who has two high school children and has served on the high school site council for the past two years, told the board she feels the grading scale is confusing. She said that each year a survey goes out to parents and students and there are always some negative comments about the scale. She said administrators have defended the scale on grounds that lowering it would lower educational standards. But she said she does not believe that. Instead, she suggested that increasing class offerings would raise standards.

The target of criticism is a scale that makes an A equal to 92 to 100 percent; a B 83 to 91 percent; a C 74 to 82 percent; a D 65 to 73 percent; and an F below 65 percent. Most schools use scales that go by even tens: A, 90 to 100; B, 80 to 89; etc.

High School Principal Bob Macauley said the scale was instituted when Sisters opened its then-new high school in 1992 after many years without a high school program. He said the purpose was to provide an incentive for superior work. But he said he’s “not married” to the system and would be glad to have the staff review the issue.

At least two board members indicated that they are not admirers of the system.

Bill Reed said flatly, “I think it’s wrong.” And Tom Coffield said that when he was substitute teaching some time ago one of his students wrote an essay noting that if he attended Sisters High at the same time his twin brother attended Bend High School and both received consistent 91 scores, the Sisters student would wind up with a 3.0 (B) grade point average while the Bend student would have a 4.0 (A).

Although no formal motion was made, the gist of the discussion was that Superintendent Ted Thonstad should undertake a review of the grading system and come back with recommendations for change, if any. Thonstad said later that the high school handbook calls for a periodic review of the grading system anyway.

The topic will probably return to the board’s agenda in September.