A 'B' or Not a 'B', That's the Question

A new blog fan said he "appreciated my commentary on political issues" and encouraged me to continue. They had home schooled four kids all the way through (hear my wild applause), so I had to reply. I thanked him for his kind words and said that he was right, I do wonder if anyone reads my "blatherings" (borrowed from Scott) and worse, it ticks me off that it matters to me. They now have three kids in college. Kudos to them. He said I should run for the School Board. My first thought was "That's a good one," followed by "Hmmm."

To be a member of the School Board it seems you need to be a Floyd native or highly credentialed. I am neither. It would be my hope that the board listens to parents and takes into consideration issues that they discuss. For instance: Why does Floyd County have a strict grading scale? I've heard the board wanted to set high standards and that parents have tried to address this question at board meetings for several years. The topic comes up often in local school discussions. Of the several people I've talked to, only one person likes the scale (her child is near perfect) and I won't print her name. The rest of us think it punishes students since it impacts their GPA. Others have accepted it. If you aren't familiar with the grading scale, here it is: A - 95-100, B - 88-94, C - 80-87 and so on. None of the surrounding counties have a similar scale. In Riner and Blacksburg, a 92 is an A and an 87 is a B.

The school administration will tell you that prospective colleges read the grading scale on the bottom of a graduate's transcript. Do they? On a Floyd County High School report card, you'll need high-powered reading glasses to see the grading scale at the very bottom of the page.

When Spencer graduates and receives his transcript, it will have numerous A's, a few B's and one C (to date). But if you read the fine print, you'll see the B's would have been A's and the C would have been a B in Montgomery County. When he applies to college, will his transcript be treated the same as someone from another county or do they set aside the Floyd County applicants and recalculate what their grades and GPA would have been had they gone to school elsewhere?

[Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.]