Some NC students sought regular grades to improve GPAs. But state rejects that option.
North Carolina high school seniors will not have the option to choose regular grades this semester instead of only pass or withdrawal grades.
The State Board of Education voted 8-3 on Thursday to stand by its March decision, amid the coronavirus pandemic, to only give seniors a “PC19” or “WC19” grade for the spring semester that won’t be counted in their grade-point-average. Most board members said it was too late to change, especially considering how some seniors have already graduated.
“It’s the right thing for us to stay the course and move on with this,’ said state board member J. Wendell Hall. “It’s hard, it’s hard. But it’s a decision that has to be made.”
But dissenting board members said seniors deserve the option to choose a regular grade to try to improve their GPA. Seniors who had taken Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Honors courses this spring to boost their GPA will lose that advantage.
“These students have gone above and beyond what’s expected and they just want to see that on a simple piece of paper,” said state board member Amy White. “The cohort of students who deserve this choice are the very ones who know that hard work matters. They know that recognition matters.”
Seniors lobbied for grading change
The vote came after seniors and their parents sent many emails asking state board members to reconsider their March decision. They wanted the same option being given to students in grades 9-11 to choose regular grades or the pass/withdrawal grades.
Yvonne Honza, whose daughter is a senior at Perquimans County High School, expressed disappointment Thursday and said she’s considering seeking legal action. She said awards that high schools give won’t be an accurate representation since they’ll only be based on how seniors were doing through the fall semester.
“Who’s to say my daughter, or any other student, wouldn’t have earned a high enough GPA to earn certain honors after their spring semester classes were calculated?” Honza said in an email Thursday.
Seniors will get a passing grade for a course if they were passing as of March 13 — the last day before schools were closed to try to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Deputy Superintendent David Stegall said the grading policy was recommended to help ease the anxiety of seniors worried about graduating.
Education officials said seniors who’ve graduated, such as those at early colleges or who left to join the military, would be disenfranchised by a policy change. White asked about letting those graduates change their grades, but she was told it would be hard reaching some of them now.
Board members say too late to change decision
“Six weeks ago we made the best decision we could on March 27 based on the situation at that time,” said state board member Jill Camnitz. “Seniors across the state then made their own individual choices to continue instruction or not depending on their circumstances.
“To change the rules right now would be unfair to many who made their decision based on the policy we approved and they would have no way to revisit their decision or to get those six weeks back.”
But Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said not counting the spring semester grades in the GPA will hurt seniors who want to raise their class rank, get a scholarship or go to college out of state.
“This to me is a no-brainer as it does nothing to hurt a student but can definitely make all the difference in an already hectic end of high school careers for those students who want the grade they earned,” Forest said in a statement read by White at the board meeting.
Forest is a state board member but cited scheduling conflicts for not attending Thursday. Forest, a Republican, is running this fall against Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
Thursday’s vote went largely along political lines. Three board members appointed by former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory voted for the change, while seven members appointed by Cooper voted to stand by the March decision.
Eric Davis, the board chairman and a McCrory appointee, voted with the Democratic appointees.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Some NC students sought regular grades to improve GPAs. But state rejects that option.."
