A course grade of 93 earns a 3.0 grade point average in Virginia Beach public schools. In Fairfax County schools this fall, it'll get a 4.0. Local parents concerned that their students will be compared unfavorably in college admissions are pleading with the Beach School Board to revise the grading scale. It allows for an A at 94 and above, and a B from 86 to 93.

So far, they've found few supporters.

"We set a tone when we reduce or increase standards," said board member Todd Davidson, reflecting the prevailing view. "We do not reduce our standards."

In the past few weeks, an online petition calling for a switch in the Beach to a scale with 10 points per letter grade has registered more than 1,100 signatures.

Laura Aquilino, mother to two First Colonial High School students, started the petition last month after Fairfax County approved a scale with 10 points per grade, including pluses and minuses.

"It's not like they should get something they didn't earn," Aquilino said. "It's recognizing them for their efforts."

In Virginia Beach, board member Carolyn Weems said she called 13 universities to see if any adjust grading scales to compare applicants across school divisions. She found none.

"It's getting so much more difficult to get into college now," she said. "If we can help our children, we should put them on a level playing field."

In Hampton Roads, all school divisions use a similar grading scale to Virginia Beach, but scales vary elsewhere.

Cape Henry Collegiate School, a Virginia Beach private school, went to a 10-point scale last fall. "It just seemed more fair to have an equal value for each grade," Head of School Jack Lewis said.

Attempts thus far to legislate a statewide grading scale for public schools have faltered, and the state Department of Education considers grades a local matter.

Students also are split on the issue.

Mary Baragar, a 15-year-old freshman at Princess Anne High School, said A's are attainable with effort. But a change could help students on the cusp, she said. "It's hard being right on the border of 93 and 94," she said.

But Richard Parocha, a First Colonial senior headed to the Coast Guard Academy, thinks the tough scale may give students an advantage in the admissions process. "It does make an A more meaningful," he said.

Amy Widner, Virginia Tech's public relations coordinator for undergraduate admissions, said universities consider the rigor and grading scale of schools. "We are looking at each student in the context of their school."

In Virginia Beach, the board declined to change the scale in time for fall. Members plan to consider it again in October.