To the Editor:

I am a Franklin High School student, and here in Franklin, we function on an 8-point grading scale.

It seems that some of the parents of Isle of Wight County Schools students wish to switch to the 10-point system since the system they are currently using “puts their students at a disadvantage” when it comes to college admissions and scholarship opportunities.

I find this idea completely ridiculous. For years, Franklin High School has functioned splendidly on the current point system and has had no issues when it comes to sending graduates to colleges and universities such as Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, William and Mary, James Madison University and many other respectable schools.

I am confused as to why the school system that has arguably better resources is complaining of this “disadvantage.” Maybe its students need to put forth more effort when taking SATs, or take harder courses in high school, or maybe they honestly just didn’t have what the college they applied to was looking for at the time.

There are many reasons that they might not have been accepted, but in my opinion, if the grading scale is such an obstacle, it’s all the more reason to keep it as it is. That way, students would be pushed to work harder, and it would be that much more impressive when they are accepted over other Virginia students.

After all, don’t you just want the students to be successful? What better way than showing what they can really do?

Katie Conner

Franklin