A few years ago, Wilsonville changed the way grades were calculated. We left the percentage model and started using a four-point scale. This was done in the hope that students would be given grades based on their mastery of a subject rather than an arbitrary number.

This may have been done with good intentions, but there is a reason the four-point scale isn’t utilized nationwide. Some of the problems are specific to the way it was implemented at Wilsonville while others are problematic due to the very nature of the four-point system.

First of all, there has been no explanation of what proficiency means. How did we decide what number made a student proficient in a subject? We decided 3.4 meant a student was exceedingly proficient, but why? What specifically makes a 3.4 the threshold between meeting and exceeding. Why not 3.0 or 3.6? How is this any different from the old percentage model?

Secondly, the proficiency scale doesn’t line up with the percentage model. A 3.4 is an 85%. Why is that considered an A? Why did we lower the grades needed to get certain grades? If you had a 65% in a class under the percentage model, you would have a D, now under the 4-point scale, you have a B. That’s a large jump.

Also, teachers choose whether to use the four-point scale or not. This leads to an inconsistency between classes. The 4-point scale is easier to operate under, so why is it fair that one student can be graded under a 4-point scale but the student next door can’t? This results in students doing the same work being graded differently.

This also greatly diminishes finals. Let’s use an example: Let’s say two students with the same grade take the same test, but one uses the four-point scale and the other doesn’t. One student has a 3.5, the other, an 87.5%. 

These are equal grades when calculated, yet on a final worth 10% of their grade, the student using the four-point system needs a 65% to keep their A, the student on the percentage model, 145%. This isn’t fair at all, yet this is how students today are expected to operate.

The introduction of the four-point scale has caused grade inflation, where students have an easier time getting better grades despite not doing better work. This means that students who genuinely excelled now blend in with everyone else. If everyone has a 4.0, a 4.0 means nothing.

This is also unfair to other schools. Colleges only see one transcript and having to compare two similar students under different grading systems tips the scales. The student under the percentage model might get passed over because their grades are worse despite the fact they might have done better work.

These many problems are actively dulling the importance of grades and making it harder for colleges to decipher the ability of prospective college students. As students navigate the school system, it’s important to be aware of the rules you operate under and act accordingly.