With each year, colleges in the United States get more expensive and more competitive, placing a heavy burden on high school students looking to better their education. And with the elevated standards comes an era in which a bachelor’s degree, at the bare minimum, is required to establish a career.

Prior to the start of the 2015-2016 academic year, Beaufort County adapted to the changing times and adopted a 10-point grading scale. Now, students who make a grade of 90 or higher will receive an ‘A,’ instead of needing a grade of a 93 prior to the change.

The 10-point scale is also more consistent with neighboring states’ scales, as well as colleges and universities. Essentially, a student who earned a 92 was putting in the same amount of work as someone in, say, a county in Virginia, but earning a ‘B’ instead of an ‘A.’

In the grand scheme of things, the change is quantitative, addressing the structure rather than the substance, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The switch simply puts Beaufort County students on a fair playing field with neighboring states.

However, the bottom line in education, what teachers dedicate so much time toward, is always qualitative performance. In that respect, the new grading scale neither hurts nor helps. For many students falling behind, it could be considered irrelevant.

According to WalletHub, a website that crunched budgeting and teacher’s salaries in a recent study, North Carolina ranked as the second worst state in the country to be a teacher. Commonly, the best teachers who begin their careers in North Carolina end up in states with more money and resources at their disposal. Virginia, just 100 miles north of Washington, is ranked among the top states for teaching, according to the study.

The quality of education in North Carolina needs to continue to be the top priority, as some school districts are still producing unimpressive graduation rates. The 10-point scale will help college-bound students be more competitive when applying for college or scholarships, not make the curriculum easier. That is why it’s important to continue an emphasis on quality — by not getting caught up in the quantitative changes — and not forget about those who are still struggling.