When you compare our district to other districts both in Washington and outside, you realize the many differences that may or may not put our school in disadvantage. One of the most apparent differences is the grading scale. At our school 93% to 100% is considered an A and then 90% to 92% is considered an A-.

However, if you head to the Bellevue School District you realize that in their grading scale a 90% to 100% is an A and a 80% to a 89% is a B. Their grading scale consists of no minuses or pluses like ours so students don’t have to worry about boosting their grade from an A- to an A or from a B to a B+. This can be unfair for students in our school district since it weakens their GPA and they have to work harder to get the letter grade they want. Someone with a 91% in class could end up getting an A- instead of an A, which they could have gotten if they were in a different school district.

Another major difference between the school districts here in Washington are the bell schedules. Bothell High School, even before the revised snow day schedule, had a confusing bell schedule with a different schedule almost everyday. With block periods on Monday and Tuesday, early release on Wednesday, club time on Friday and a full class schedule on Friday, each day can be wild ride.

In the Mercer Island School District, students only have block schedules on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a late start and advisory on Wednesday. With a schedule like the Mercer Island’s, students are less confused about what time class ends and don’t have to worry as much about remembering to get to their next class on time. The same can be said for the Bellevue School District, with block days on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and full class schedules on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. If our school schedule next year, with the new required seventh period, can be somewhat similar to the mentioned school districts, the students of our school will be greatly benefited