Starting next school year, the Schools in the state of Indiana will be given letter grades according to the performance of their students in standardized tests. The students’ performance in standardized tests will be the basis for the letter grades.

The plan was recently approved by the State Board of Education. According to the new set of rules, the old grading system will be replaced with the simpler A to F scale. Indiana schools will no longer be graded using the old complicated system, which entails the use of category names in order to label a specific school’s performance.

However, the newly approved plan caught the attention of numerous people. More than a hundred principals, teachers, and parents expressed their disagreement towards the implementation of the letter grades during a recent public hearing. According to them, the new grading system will pose a difficulty for schools with more difficult-to-educate students.

On the other hand, the schools’ superintendent, Tony Bennett, says that this new system will provide a clear view of the school’s overall performance. According to Bennet, the current grading system groups the schools into certain categories such as “academic progress” or “academic watch.” He believes that what is needed is an easy-to-understand and clearer means that can be used by not only the educator, but also the community members and the students’ parents.