A’s and Bs Equal 10s and 20s for High Achievers

At Marina High School, good grades can mean hard cash.

Under a new pilot program, the school’s Parents, Teachers and Students Assn. is handing out prizes--including money--to students who boost their grade-point averages. The first rewards were issued Tuesday, when students received certificates, plaques, key chains and checks for as much as $150.

The program, the first of its kind at an Orange County school, is widely supported by parents and administrators who call it an effective means of motivating students to concentrate on their studies.

But some teachers and others in the schools are leery, saying that the plan may amount to little more than a bribe for students. They argue that offering money to students may not be a proper incentive to take academics more seriously.

But Paul Zack, the school’s assistant principal of guidance and instruction, strongly defends the program, which he calls “an excellent idea.” He reasoned that a cash-for-grades program is analogous to getting paid for labor in the working world.

“Society rewards people who are productive,” Zack said. “I don’t see why a school shouldn’t provide that same incentive, if possible.”

Garvin Johnson, president of Marina High’s PTSA, said the idea grew from a similar plan he instituted in his home to entice his daughter, Nadia, to get better grades.

Nadia entered Marina this fall as an average student, so her father decided to offer her $5 for every A she earned, or $100 if she received all A’s. The plan showed early results, he said, so he decided to pitch a similar model for the entire student body.

“I know money is a very strong incentive to me,” Johnson said. “I assume it also is for children at any age.”

He said he understands opponents’ concerns about attaching a payoff to grade improvement, but said the results have proven their fears unfounded.

“This debate goes on and on,” he said. “I don’t think this program in itself is a motivator. For kids who are marginal to have an incentive, that’s great. I don’t see where working for grades is compromising the educational system.”

The strongest resistance, initially, came from parents who questioned whether cash should be awarded instead of scholarship money, Johnson said. The hesitant parents were concerned that students would blow the money on clothes, or perhaps even spend it on drugs.

He said he swayed some opponents by again relating the situation to his dealings with Nadia. “I don’t control what my daughter uses her money for, so why should we in this case?” he said.

Johnson’s idea appears to have gotten results for most of the 48 students who chose to participate in the program. All but seven of the students improved their GPAs from the end of last school year to the first semester of 1991-92. Eighteen of those students improved their grade-point average by least half a point, with an average climb from 3.1 to 3.5.

Awards were offered in two categories. Students could win cash awards by their GPA gains, or by achieving in more advanced classes.

Tuan Tran, a junior, won a $150 grand prize for dramatically improving his grade average, from 1.4 to 3.6. Julie Dalton, a college-bound senior, won the other $150 check in the high-achiever group, boosting her adjusted GPA from 4.7 to a perfect 5.0 in her honors courses.

Three runners-up in each category earned $100 each, and other participants received certificates and key chains with the school’s logo. The awards, paid for with money raised by the PTSA, were presented to the participants during an assembly Tuesday.

Afterward, Tran and Dalton said the lure of money had little, if anything, to do with them bettering their grades.

“This year, I just pushed myself to work harder,” Tran said.