In order to eliminate confusion and make the school’s weighted grade point average system more compatible with colleges and universities, has adopted a new 4.0 scale.
The new system bases the grade point average on a 4.0 scale in which students taking honors classes will receive a .5 increase while AP students will receive a 1.0 increase. Previously, the scale was based on a 7.0 scale.
“Our old weighted GPA caused some confusion amongst our college partners. By changing to a uniformed system, it implements a change that is easier to understand by the colleges,” college and career counselor Daniel Gin said.
English teacher Rachel Gross believes that the prior policy caused confusion and did not recognize students who took grade-weight four and five classes.
“I think that the new GPA policy is attempting to solve the problem of colleges not understanding, and therefore discrediting, our district’s weighted GPA system. Then, students who have challenged themselves by taking grade-weight 4 and 5 classes sometimes aren’t being recognized by the colleges to which they’re applying,” Gross said.
Both Gin and Gross are hopeful for the positive effects of this change.
“I think there will be less confusion and will benefit our students because the grading system is straight forward. Hopefully some students will receive more academic scholarships and positive admissions decisions,” Gin said.
Gross hopes this will allow students to be recognized for their efforts; however, she advises the school board to drop weights altogether.
“Hopefully, it will help students be recognized for their high school efforts when they apply to college,” Gross said. “I also think, though, that the district should consider getting rid of grade weights altogether.This would make things more fair for all students and would support the district’s emphasis on equity.”
Senior Amanda Muir, however, dislikes the change due to some confusion.
“When I look up colleges now, it says that my GPA is too low for all of the colleges I want to goto. Before it said I was well above the average, and now I am well below. I don’t know if it is just that glitch,” said Muir.
Senior Julia O’Neill understands the new GPA matches that of other schools, but she is not completely sure about all the details.
“To be honest I don’t completely understand it [the new scale] yet. I know that the new scale is the one most schools go by, but now I don’t really know how my weighted GPA compares to other people’s,” O’Neill said.
Concerned Student • Sep 4, 2013 at 6:30 PM
The biggest problem with this is that some classes like Math Analysis are considered one of the hardest classes in the school (most students will agree that Math Analysis is harder than AP Calc AB some even BC), yet they aren’t AP and hence getting an A in that class won’t give you a 5.0 according to the new system. Classes like Accounting are considered weight 5 yet they aren’t even Honors. Getting a B in such classes will lead to students having their GPA dropped dramatically and the GPA won’t show that the class was challenging even though it was.