BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A new Kentucky scholarship program that rewards good grades in high school with college tuition assistance might bring about unintended problems, students and educators say.
Northern Kentucky's school superintendents fear the program will lead to grade inflation, increased pressure on schools and a disincentive for students to take challenging courses.
Students want to know how their grade-point averages (GPAs) will be compared with the grades of students in other schools when grading scales vary significantly across the state.
The Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship gives students money for college based on their GPAs, ACT scores and completion of five core courses. For their GPAs, students can earn from $125 to $500 for each year of school. ACT scores of 15 or better can earn as much as $300 more. The money comes from lottery revenue.
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FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
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Base amounts of proposed Commonwealth Merit Scholarships (students would qualify for these amounts each year of high school, based on grade-point average):
GPA - Amount
2.50 - $125
2.60 - $150
2.70 - $175
2.75 - $187
2.80 - $200
2.90 - $225
3.00 - $250
3.10 - $275
3.20 - $300
3.25 - $313
3.30 - $325
3.40 - $350
3.50 - $375
3.60 - $400
3.70 - $425
3.75 - $438
3.80 - $450
3.90 - $475
4.00 - $500
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"What I see is the fact that we got this wonderful idea to help Kentucky students get their education," Southgate Schools Superintendent Bernie Sandfoss said. "But if the motivation is GPA-driven, students may shy away from a tougher course so they get a better grade. They may then not be as prepared as they need to be to get into college."
Students say that is a real possibility.
"This is a good starting point, but they need a way to incorporate everything students do into the ranking," said Campbell County High senior Jessica Schultz. "I'm not a good test taker but I work really hard to get good grades."
P.J. Wigginton, a senior football player at Campbell County High, said the program's message -- do well in school, get money for college -- is good.
"The football coaches have study halls for us to help us get good grades," P.J. said. "We come in an hour before school. My parents won't let me work during football because it already takes so much time, so getting money for good grades is nice."
But grades aren't worth the same from school to school. An A at Campbell County High means a 93 or above. An A at other schools could be as low as a 90 or as high as a 98.
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FOR AWARDS
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Supplemental awards for high school graduates, based on American College Test scores:
ACT - Amount
15 - $21
16 - $43
17 - $64
18 - $86
19 - $107
20 - $129
21 - $150
22 - $171
23 - $193
24 - $214
25 - $236
26 - $257
27 - $279
28+ - $300
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Concern about the fairness of grades is already prompting some school districts to adjust their grading scales.
The Hardin County Schools lowered the standard to get an "A" from 95 to 92. A committee of teachers and parents has recommended a 92 standard in the Caverna district, rather than the current 94 grade level for an A.
Those early signs are prompting the Northern Kentucky Association of School Superintendents to discuss the issue at its Nov. 4 meeting. The group is preparing to send letters to Gov. Paul Patton, the state education department and the Council on Postsecondary Education.
"If you can see the problems this early, then the handwriting is on the wall," Beechwood Schools Superintendent Fred Bassett said. "It does so many negative kinds of things for the improvement of instructional programs. It puts pressure on schools and teachers because parents are clamoring for scholarships."
Educators' ideas
Educators say the state needs to look at the long-range effect of exactly how the scholarships will be awarded. The superintendents suggest several ideas:
- Create a uniform, statewide grading scale.
- Create a weighted index that would account for the differences in GPAs from school to school but be able to compare student scores in a fair manner.
- Tie the award to a student's performance on the state assessment test.
- Translate student scores into a percentile and then plot them on a statewide GPA scale for the scholarship.
Several educators and students said they think the best way to award the money would be to consider a combination of factors including GPA, test scores, the difficulty of classes and extracurricular activities.
"Now that I think about this GPA stuff, I think the ACT is a better way to judge. It's a national test that's equal for all students," said Campbell High senior Christopher Manker, who has the highest GPA in his class. "They do need a fair way of doing it."
But the legislation that created the program specifically says GPAs and ACT scores are the deciding factors.
Sen. Tim Shaughnessy, D-Louisville, the primary sponsor of the legislation, said he was surprised that schools have changed their grading scales.
"It does point out the need to establish a common criteria by which the scholarships are awarded," Mr. Shaughnessy said. "I don't think there is really an appreciation for the diversity of the grading structure throughout Kentucky high schools."
Several states have dealt with the same problems.
Florida and North Carolina had similar scholarship programs and both experienced financial trouble. North Carolina's went bankrupt four years ago. The Florida program, which rewards SAT scores, set the cutoff score so low the legislature doesn't have enough money for all the students who qualified.
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber is proposing a scholarship program based on standards other than grades.
Louisiana's Tuition Opportunity Program for Students gives money based on GPA, ACT scores and required course work, exactly like Kentucky's plan. Nearly 20,000 students qualified for the tiered scholarships, but the $37 million budgeted is already $7.6 million too little.
Georgia's HOPE program, on which Kentucky's plan is modeled, created some of the same problems Kentucky educators are now experiencing. The state created a system of measuring grades in which students receive credit for honors and more advanced classes that are reflected in an overall average. More than 51,400 Georgia students with at least a B average shared $86.3 million in scholarships this year. The scholarships are paid for with lottery revenue.
At Campbell County High, Principal Steve Sorrell said teachers are using the scholarship opportunity as a positive influence.
"Kids ask what the diploma will get them. Now we can say money," Mr. Sorrell said. "I do know students that without this money they could not go to college. And I like that the GPA goes to 2.5. Now we can tell them one way to raise the GPA is to be here."
But the superintendents say they are worried about the impact of money-for-grades competition.
Robert Sexton, director of the Lexington-based Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence, said the concern is a historic problem.
The Educational Testing Service, the company that administers many of the country's college-entrance exams, was created in response to inconsistencies in grading.
"What we're doing with establishing standards is addressing that problem," Mr. Sexton said. "Every teacher has different texts and different ways of grading. What we're trying to do is say that being proficient in an academic area should be the long-term solution."
As for parental pressure, Mr. Sexton said that's just a fact that educators must live with.
"It's in athletics and all kinds of other things," Mr. Sexton said. "Educators should make sure the parent has some standard for what a grade means."
This month, the Council on Postsecondary Education will determine exactly how to award the scholarships.
Brad Hughes, spokesman for the Kentucky School Boards Association, said there is nothing wrong with schools changing grading scales to reflect curriculum changes or to keep in line with neighboring districts.
"Our concern is the lowering of a grade point that has nothing to do with academics or grades in the classroom and only for scholarship dollars," Mr. Hughes said. "This thing could turn out to be the prototypical Catch-22, where it was a great idea but might be so difficult to implement."
