Grading for students in all Catholic schools in the Diocese of Little Rock has been adjusted to the traditional 10-point scale used across Arkansas.
Previously schools used a seven-point scale. A student would have to score at least 93 percent to get an A. Anyone scoring 69 percent and lower got a failing grade.
“After reviewing grading scales from other dioceses, private and public schools in Arkansas, the diocesan board of education and the principals came to consensus that Diocese of Little Rock grading scale will change for the 2015-16 school year,” superintendent Vernell Bowen said. “This in no way lowers the high standards of rigorous academics in the Catholic schools in the diocese. This change will put the students in the Catholic schools on the same scale as other private schools and the public schools in Arkansas.”
Bowen said change will have the biggest impact on high school students who are applying for Arkansas colleges and universities and for scholarships.
The new grading scale is:
- A: 90-100 percent
- B: 80-89 percent
- C: 70-79 percent
- D: 60-69 percent
- F: 59 percent and lower
