WHEREAS, currently, each local school division in the Commonwealth develops and implements its own grading scale; and

WHEREAS, with more and more high school graduates continuing on to higher education, the ever more competitive admissions process has focused greater attention on the discrepancies among the various grading policies; and

WHEREAS, other states have begun to examine the idea of a statewide uniform grading policy and several, including South Carolina, have adopted a statewide uniform grading policy; and

WHEREAS, a statewide uniform grading policy may have the effect of leveling the playing field somewhat in the college admissions process; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Department of Education be requested to study the impact of a uniform grading policy in the Commonwealth.

In conducting its study, the Department shall (i) examine other states' uniform grading policies and their effects on the public school systems in those states, (ii) consider the implication of implementing a similar policy in the Commonwealth, and (iii) if such a policy is found to be desirable, consider and make recommendations on specific elements of such a policy, including (a) consistent numerical breaks for letter grades, (b) standards to define honors courses, (c) a methodology for appropriately weighting advanced and honors courses, and (d) a determination of courses and weightings to be used in the calculation of class rank.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department for this study, upon request.

The Department of Education shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2010, and for the second year by November 30, 2011, and the Department shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document for each year. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.