At Vandegrift any grade below a C means a student will have to retake the class, often in summer school or the next year. However, in countless schools and most universities in the US, this is not the case. Students can still move onto the next grade with a D.
I am all for increasing educational standards, but I believe that requiring students to have at least a C average to move on is more detrimental than beneficial because it forces students who are struggling to retake classing they are struggling with and does not allow them to explore their other talents.
For example, a student could be struggling in geometry. If this student earns below a C, they will have to retake this class. This will not only be socially embarrassing to the student, but it will also hinder their future studies too. This student could do poorly in geometry, but be a wiz in algebra, but with Vandegrift’s grading system they could never explore this talent because they would be stuck repeating geometry until they earned a C. If they could pass with a D, that student could dedicate their time to perfect their own talents instead of wasting their energy on a class that is not their forte.
A student that receives a D knows over 60% of the course material. I believe that this is sufficient to pass a class. If D’s were given , students could also take more classes (as they would repeat less classes) and be exposed to more material and subjects. Simply put, D’s are better for the students of Vandegrift.