Level the playing field for SBHS students

We were surprised to find out how much harder it is to get good grades at South Brunswick High School than at other schools in the region. Now school leaders are considering lowering the bar a bit, and there's no shame in that move whatsoever.

On Monday, the Board of Education and school administration discussed a package of proposals aimed at leveling the playing field between SBHS students and their competitors. Among the inequities faced by South Brunswick students:

+ An A is any score between 95-100; other local schools offer the same grade for anything 93 and higher. Some schools in other states use a simple 10-point system, where an A is 90 and higher, a B is 80 and higher, etc. SBHS would now also use the 93.

+ SBHS students haven't been rewarded for taking difficult classes like their peers at other schools. For instance, an Advanced Placement (AP) course only counted a half-point higher on their grade-point average (GPA), while others got a full point. SBHS would now use the full point, and also increase the weight of its honors courses.

It may seem admirable that South Brunswick students have to work harder for their high marks, but there's a risk that their hard work could go unrecognized and actually hurt them in the college admissions process. In theory, admissions officers are supposed to consider the difference in grade scales and treat the South Brunswick B+ like an A somewhere else. Can we depend on them to do that? We have our doubts.

In a process like this, human error will inevitably play a part. With the sheer volume of applications that come across an admissions officer's desk, our worry is that applications might get glanced over too quickly, and the 3.2 SBHS student could get overlooked for the 3.4 student from elsewhere, even though the SBHS student's grades are technically better. In a scenario like that, the SBHS student is at a competitive disadvantage.

SBHS's tougher grade system is a noble challenge to its students, but it may also be a liability. If the core purpose of a high school is to prepare its students for their futures, this system could work against that goal. The proposals to change the system are sensible, and we encourage the school board to adopt them in time for the 2007-08 school year.