Proposed bill would halt change to grading scale used to evaluate school performance

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Some Democratic lawmakers want to stop a scheduled change to the grading scale for school performance evaluations in North Carolina.

House Bill 145, which was filed Feb. 21 and passed its first reading Monday, proposes keeping the grading scale for school evaluations at a 15-point system.

The grading scale is scheduled to change to a 10-point system for the 2019-2020 school year.

The new grading scale--no matter which goes into effect--will only impact school evaluation scores, not student grades.

The 15-point scale, which is currently used. means a score of 100-85 counts as an A, 84-70 counts as a B and so on. Whereas the 10-point scale gives an A for grades 100-90, B for 89-70, and so on.

You can view your school's most recent performance grade by clicking here.

North Carolina Board of Education changed the student grading scale to a 10-point scale (from a 7-point scale) in 2015. That change was done to level the playing field for students competing for scholarships and college admittance against students from states with a 10-point scale. The fate of House Bill 145 would not impact that 2015 change.

The proposed bill is in its infancy, but if it does pass it would go into effect for the 2019-2020 school year.

All 12 House members listed as sponsors on the bill are Democrats, with most of them being from the Charlotte area. Rep. Rosa U. Gill of Wake County and Rep. Zack Hawkins of Durham County are the two local sponsors listed on the bill.

Editor's note: The initial version of this story incorrectly stated that the proposed grading scale change would be applied to student grades.