ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : How Not to Make the Grade

Academic counselors at Brea Olinda High School came up with a new grading system several years ago that was creative, to say the least. Students got the normal A, B, C, D or F; but for a favored group, a C or a D could be changed magically to a P, as in “Pass.” Presto, a student’s grade-point average went up. Shazam, colleges received a better picture of the applicant.

Teachers say they were not told of the practice. It turns out that counselors acted on their own.

Some students got other help as well. Need a few more credits to meet the 240-credit minimum for graduation? No problem. That three-credit English course became six credits, thanks to a friendly counselor, and the minimum was met. Grades were changed for about 55 seniors in a graduating class of 306; about 40 received double credit in some classes.

Officials report that the counselors did draw the line at changing a failing grade to a pass. That’s encouraging.

One teacher said he and his colleagues were enraged when they learned of the practice, which appears to have been going on for four to 10 years. They should be. This is academic fraud and it demeans the educational process. Clearly, the Brea Olinda Unified School District failed to set fixed standards for all students.

High school academic counselors are supposed to offer guidance to students about course work and possible college careers. They are not supposed to decide grades, let alone improve them on their own or improve a student’s chances of being accepted by a college.

The superintendent of the Brea Olinda district said that the actions were a violation of state law and that corrective steps now had been taken. He called the actions “a judgment error.” We prefer the term outrageous .

Besides English and math, responsibility and honesty are appropriate lessons for high school students. It’s unfair to those who work hard if others’ grades are improved by fiat. Students deserve to be told where they stand. Giving false marks to a select few hurts all involved--students, teachers and colleges.