RALEIGH -- North Carolina education leaders have approved a change in how high school students are graded. The state Board of Education on Thursday approved the switch to a 10-point range for each letter grade.

The change goes into effect with freshmen next year. But, not everyone thinks it is a good idea. Terry Stoops, director of Educational Studies with the Conservative John Locke Foundation says says it important to allow this to be a way to loosen standards.

"Even though there is more breathing room in the grading scale, students are still held to high standards in all their classes. We are still pushing students to be the very best they can be."

The state currently uses a 7-point scale, meaning an A is 100 to 93, a B is 92 to 85 and so forth, with a grade below 70 earning an F. Under the new scale, 100 to 90 would be an A, while a failing grade would be anything below 60.