Why Grade 8/9 Students Don’t Get Percentages

Jessica Kim

In the 2018-2019 school year, the Vancouver School District participated in the Ministr y of Education’s DRAFT K-9 Student Reporting Policy. This policy is meant to show the student’s learning in a way that helps with the student’s progression, phasing out the letter grade and percentage system.

The four points used are Extending, Applying, Developing and Beginning. There is no exact relation between this scale and percentage grades, though the two can be roughly compared. An Extending would be equivalent to an A or high B which would indicate a sophisticated understanding of the material. An Applying could equal a B or a high C which would indicate a com- plete understanding of the material. A Developing is comparable to a C, which would indicate a partial understanding of the material, and a Beginning a D, or an initial understanding of the material.

The system is used to help students and parents watch the progression of their learning.

In the 2021-2022 school year, Grade 8 and 9 students have been assessed using this proficiency scale, and will be for the years to come.

The Griffins’ Nest spoke to Grade 8 and 9 students, inquiring as to whether they feel they have a better understanding of their academic levels when grades are represented through the current scale. The majority of these students stated that they would prefer to have their grades shown through percentages.

“The proficiency scale is quite subjective whereas the percentage method is more objective,” shared Lauren Kolmel (9).

Teresa Deruchie (9) finds the proficiency scale to be confusing and thinks that it does not clearly show a student’s academic level. ”An Applying could be interpreted in letter grades as a B, a high B or a low A” she explained.

“Percentages are much more specific to your grade and help you understand what level you are at,” said Isabella Prior (9).

Sophie Jung (8) shared that in her first year of high school the proficien- cy scale was hard to understand and caused confusion around what grade she received. “The scale has caused many arguments be- tween my parents and I because we all think I got a differ- ent grade.”

Julien Laba (9), feels that he would rather have his grades shown through percentages.

“The proficiency scale, if anything, is a guessing game,” says Sienna Law- rence (9). “I got a developing - but how close could it have been to an apply- ing?”

However, the VSB claims that the proficiency scale helps students accu- rately determine what level they are at academically and how they can be best supported moving forward.

Richard Zerbe, a VSB Director of Instruction-Education Services, says that the letter grade system was detrimental to students as it suggested that once a student received a high grade, they completed the subject. He stated that learning should be continuous.

The VSB explained that this new system intends to divert students’ focus from receiving a higher grade to finding ways to improve their learning. They hope that it will encourage more communication between students, teachers, and parents.