Inklings oct 2013

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Crown Point High School 1500 S. Main St.

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Senior Courtney Covaciu and her team win sectionals, fall short to Munster in regionals

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Oct. 31, 2013 Vol. 78 Issue 2

Crown Point, IN 46307

Tough loss

inklings@cps.k12.in.us

Read about the volleyball post-season on page 13

On o u r w e i g h

A 4.0

B

A+ 100-96.5

3.3

The new grading scale is currently in effect and will alter the weight of all semester grades. Administration views

B+ 89.4-86.5

4.0 A 96.4-92.5

3.0 B 86.4-82.5

3.7

2.7

A92.4-89.5

B82.4-79.5

this change as ultimately beneficial,

C

putting our

D

2.3

C+ 79.4-76.5

school more in line with college

1.3

2.0

C 76.4-72.5

D+ 69.4-66.5

grading scales.

1.0

F

0.7

0.0

D 66.4-62.5

1.7

C72.4-69.5

D62.4-59.5

59.4 and below

Weighting changes to affect student semester grades BY DYLAN TAYLOR JACK SNEDDEN

editor-in-chief reporter

The GPA values seen on semester report cards this year may look a bit different than what students are used to. After some deliberation, administration has decided to implement a new grading scale, altering the overall weighting of plus and minus grades. Under the scale, which will define all scores from the 2013-2014 school year, scores 92.5 and above will have the same 4.0 weight as before, but A minus grades (89.5-92.4) will now be weighted a 3.7. A B plus (86.5-89.4) will be weighted a 3.3, whereas a B (82.586.4) will be weighted the traditional 3.0 and a B minus (79.5-82.4) will be weighted a 2.7. The same weighting standards apply to C and D grades as well. “The effects of the grading scale are going into effect at semester,” assistant principal Robert McDermott said. “Our students getting an 87, 88 percent, or a 77, 78 percent and so on, are getting a bit of a boost to their GPA.” According to McDermott, the new scale was put into place as part of an effort to more accurately reflect and reward mastery of course material, as well as to align the system with colleges and other high schools that use similar scales. “The rationale behind this change is that we wanted to align ourselves with our post-secondary partners, and lo-

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cally, we wanted to have a grade point that really reflected the level of mastery that a student has,” McDermott said. McDermott also believes that the new scale may encourage students to strive to get better grades. “For example, we’ve had students that may have an 80 percent and realize that even if they get a 100 percent on the final exam, the best they can do is an 87, and an 80 and an 87 both constitute a 3.0, so why study? That’s really

not the way it should be,” McDermott said. “We think that this will positively impact the people at the top of a grade and, I guess, negatively impact those on the low end of a grade. It will benefit some, and it’s a drawback to others. It not only puts us in line with colleges, but also with other

high schools as well.” English teacher John Lambersie sees this new grading system as meshing well with the also newly-instituted Latin Honors system. “Overall, what I think the administration is trying to do is reward more kids than (the top ten), and that’s all that matters. All the kids that really want to be the best and be number one will work with whatever system that we give them,” Lambersie said. “I really think that the important part is that it gives kids a carrot to reach for that may drive them to improve their grades in class. I guess that’s what grades are; they’re that prize for kids to get, and saying ‘now you can get a better prize for a B plus than a B’ helps with that.” Lambersie also sees the scale as possibly providing more incentives for achieving better grades, and suspects that most GPAs will not be drastically altered by the new weights. “Honestly, I would hope that (the new scale) has a positive effect on GPAs. First of all, a lot of kids that, let’s say, would normally get a B may try now for that B plus, and kids who may usually get an A minus may get hurt a bit, but their grade would still be better than a normal 3.0,” Lambersie said. “Technically, you should get as many minuses as plusses, and it should weight itself out. Now knowing that you can get a little bit more for a B plus or a C plus might push kids to improve their GPAs and try

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...we wanted to align ourselves with our post-secondary partners, and locally, we wanted to have a grade point that really reflected the level of mastery that a student has.

assistant principal Robert McDermott

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