New Grading Scale Would Make More Tennessee Students Eligible For Scholarships
Photo: Hope Scholarship Recipients Photo Credit: Angel Terry Sexton / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Representative Charlie Baum (R-Murfreesboro-District 37) has sponsored a bill that would change Tennessee’s current scale and make many more college ready students eligible for scholarships.
House Bill 0324 (HB0324) and companion Senate Bill 0388 (SB0388), sponsored by Senator Bill Powers (R-Nashville-District 22), would establish the 10 point scale as standard across Tennessee in assigning letter grades to students enrolled in grades 9 through 12 for purposes of reporting students’ grades for post secondary financial assistance.
Parents have long begged for a change in the grading scale. Maurissa Pasick of Mount Juliet says the current grading system is “a detriment to the vast majority” of students who miss out on scholarships because their GPA is lower as a result of the 7 point scale that is used now. Pasick has been advocating for the 10 point scale along with other Wilson County parents for two years.
Tennessee students who apply to a top college now are at a disadvantage compared to students from almost all other states who use the 10 point scale. A Tennessee student must currently earn a 93 or better to receive an A whereas a student from Kentucky earns an A starting at 90.
Under the current 7 point scale, grades are assigned as follows:
93-100 A
85-92 B
77-84 C
70-76 D
0-69 F
If the bill is passed, the grading scale would work like this:
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
0-59 F
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GPA plays an important role in college scholarships and if the grading scale changes, more Tennessee students would qualify for the HOPE scholarship.
The HOPE scholarship is the reason Tennessee currently uses the 7 point scale. It was adopted in 2014 with the founding of the scholarship which demanded a more uniform grading system. But universities overwhelmingly use the 10 point scale as do most other states.
Representative Baum has said that the 10 point scale would not only cause grades to go up but also require an increase in funding of the HOPE scholarship to the tune of approximately $3 million.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
