JEFFERSON TWP — Students in the South Butler County School District will be graded on a new scale in the next school year.

The school board voted at its Wednesday meeting to change the grading scale to improve students' grade point averages and make them more competitive for scholarships and in college admissions, said Superintendent David Foley.

According to a board meeting document, the guidance department recommended the change after studying the grading scales of many districts in the county and region.

For example, a senior earning scores of 90 percent to 98 percent in six classes would have a grade-point average of 3.33 at South Butler.

Those same scores would translate to a 4.0 grade point average in the Butler, Karns City, Seneca Valley, Moniteau, Slippery Rock and Highlands districts.

Foley said in a scholarship opportunity, a South Butler student who earned a score of 91 would have a B, while that score would earn an A in other districts.

“Obviously that impacts the GPA and grading scale as a direct correlation to how that student is performing,” Foley said.

He said the new grading scale will not be retroactive, and no prior grades will be changed.

“The administration recommendation is to do it from this point forward,” Foley said. “I do not believe it's appropriate to go back and change anything that's in the grade books in previous years.”

The board voted unanimously to change the current grading scale of 92 percent for an A, 82 percent for a B and 74 percent for a C to 90 percent for an A, 80 percent for a B, 70 percent for a C, and 60 percent for a D.

Each new grade scale would provide students with more points on their GPAs, Foley said.

He said teachers and parents were consulted in the decision.

The district studied the scholarship and admissions routines of the top 20 colleges and universities selected by South Butler students as well, Foley said.