5 minute read
Weighted GPA
by Taylor Willmarth, video editor
Lily Dinh had a 4.6 GPA when she left Kokomo, Indiana, earlier this year. Kokomo High School uses a weighted GPA system in which AP and honors courses count for more in the calculation of a student’s grade point average. In addition to the expected difficulties of moving to Montana and changing schools, Dinh was alarmed to see that her GPA had not transferred to CMR.
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“I feel that it’s unfair that taking honors classes does not count towards anything,” Dinh said.
She had taken Honors English, Honors Trigonometry, AP Environmental Science, and AP Spanish before moving to Great Falls. She has continued to be a motivated student as a junior at CMR, but she said that students deserve credit for their hard work.
“Kids who take honors classes are getting the same amount of credit as those taking general or regular classes. It kind of discourages students to try harder,” Dinh added.
CMR Principal Kerry Parsons said that GFPS had considered adopting a weighted GPA system in the early 2000s to increase enrollment in AP and honors courses, but nothing ever came about. “Not to say that it will never happen in our district,” Parsons said. “It would be a decision made by the school board and administration [at the district office building].”
Parsons noted that weighted GPA systems are most helpful in determining a valedictorian, and colleges often convert GPA to the standard scale to eliminate inconsistencies. He also said that students who want to make a change on issues like this should get involved in the decision making processes.
“Students should get on the agenda,” Parsons said. “The school board [references] the discussions and ideas presented at the meetings when they vote.” Parsons said that colleges are going to consider students who take difficult classes, maintain a high GPA, and score well on the SAT and ACT, whether or not their report card includes a weighted GPA.
Parsons said that students should contact Brenda Lowry, the school’s scholarship coordinator, and their counselor for more information about their GPA and the transition from high school to college. by Maggie Petersen, entertainment/opinion editor
Before I’d ever heard of GPA, I’d heard of 4.0. With an overachiever older sister, she entered high school with a drive for success I’ve always strived to emulate. She talked about Honors Chemistry before I knew what H₂O stood for. She talked about AP Government before I knew my own political affiliations. And she talked about Honors Geometry before “proof ” meant anything other than “an establishment of truth.”
Now, I’m a junior in the throes of academia and extracurriculars, and the glamour of being an “honors student” has long worn off. Even as someone who knows her career field, colleges of choice, and future goals, I’m continually paralyzed by a lack of understanding of and control over my future. Where do I line up? What are colleges actually looking for? The only one of my qualities I know matters to colleges is my GPA.
Thus begins my frustration of “harder classes vs. better grades.” Do I continually risk my reputation among colleges by pushing myself intellectually? What, exactly, matters more? By using a weighted GPA system, the number “4.0” no longer represents the loftiest notch of student achievement, and rather just another number on the GPA scale.
Following the invention of the school system, which was modelled after the industrial factories of the time, modernization has come with a certain laxing of policy. From replacing physical punishments to reprimands and uniforms to dress codes, education now allows for a more flexible approach to learning than ever before. I believe introducing a weighted GPA system to Great Falls Public Schools is the next step. As a high school junior, my voice may not carry much weight. What I, or many other students, personally feel has no bearing on the high school experience. But what if it did? What if student government was not just about Prom but also policy? Of course, as minors we will never hold as much power as adults, but if high school is truly meant to shape us into the leaders of tomorrow, maybe what we lack is the opportunity to try being the leaders of today.
I want to give myself and my fellow students our best chance for a good future. I want to shift the focus from maintaining GPA to attaining academic growth with more challenging classes.
Now, I’m finally learning all the things my older sister talked about, and I want to keep learning. 4.0 or not, I’m eager to see just what the world has in store for me. All information is from a survey conducted on surverymonkey.com. 100 people total answered the poll. 15 rustlernews.com December 19, 2019 Weighted GPA System Definition: An insight from Rustlers and Administration Do you know what a weighted GPA is? I went to a high school that offered compensation for AP and honors courses prior to living in Great Falls. Colleges favor students with GPA’s higher than 4.0. GPA is the main factor colleges consider I would be in favor of GFPS adopting a weighted GPA system. POLLS POLLS POLLS POLLS POLLS Junior struggles to determine GPA’s importance A weighted GPA is a GPA that takes the difficulty of your classes into account along with your grades. On a typical unweighted scale (which is solely based on grades and not on the difficulty of your classes), GPAs are recorded as numbers ranging from 0 to 4.0. “Students should get on the agenda,” Parsons said. “The school board [references] the discussions and ideas presented at the meetings when they vote.” No
False disagree disagree n o Yes 55 60 51 31
69 49 41 13
36 19
