August 30, 2019
Dear Katy ISD Parents and Guardians,
Katy ISD is continuously reviewing and improving upon policies and practices to ensure all students have equitable access to the curriculum and opportunities during and beyond high school. As such, it is important that the District's letter grade system affords maximum benefits to all students. Over the past few years, other school districts have eliminated the "D" letter grade in their grading systems. This school year, Katy ISD has removed the "D" from our elementary and secondary grading scales to ensure a level playing field. This change will benefit Katy ISD students when applying to colleges and universities, as well as scholarship organizations that convert the 100-point scale to a 4.0 scale.
The new secondary grading scales with the removal of the D are listed below.
Seniors and Juniors, Graduating Classes of 2020 and 2021
| Course | 90-100
A | 80-89
B | 75-79
C | 70-74
C- | 69 and Below
F |
| Advanced | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Dual Credit | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Academic | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Sophomores, Class of 2022
| Course | 90-100
A | 80-89
B | 75-79
C | 70-74
C- | 69 and Below
F |
| Advanced | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Dual Credit | 4.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0 |
| Academic | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Freshmen, Class of 2023 and thereafter
| Course | 90-100
A | 80-89
B | 70-79
C | 69 and Below
F |
| Advanced | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Dual Credit | 4.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0 |
| Academic | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
This allows Katy ISD students to be competitive with students from districts that do not include D's in their grading scale. Semester averages between 70-79 may be converted to a value of "2" by colleges and universities that utilize the grading scale for admissions and scholarship opportunities.
It is important to note that the removal of the "D" letter grade does not lower Katy ISD's grading standards. A student will still need a 70 or above to earn a passing grade and credit for the course, in accordance with Board Policy EI (LEGAL).
Current Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen (Classes 2021 through 2023) and thereafter will see an additional change in the reporting of class rank. Students in the top ten percent of their class will be provided their class rank in the spring semester of the junior year. Official class ranking of the top ten percent is in accordance with state law and ensures automatic admission to Texas public colleges and universities. All other students will receive a quartile rank. Transcripts will reflect class rank for the top ten percent and quartile rank for students in the first, second and third quartiles.
Current seniors (Class of 2020) were provided an official class rank in the spring semester of their junior year; therefore, there will be no changes to reporting class rank for senior students.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your campus administrator or your campus counselor. Thank you again for partnering with Katy ISD to equip and inspire all students to pursue successful futures beyond high school.
Sincerely,
Leslie Haack
Deputy Superintendent
Katy ISD