The other CSU’s and the UC’s also cap weighted grades. Why blame Cal Poly, specifically?
I don’t fully understand the mechanics of the MCA, but anecdotally, I know that my son made it into Cal Poly and his friend with very similar stats but less rigorous classes did not. They applied to the same college (Liberal Arts) and had similar acceptance rate in the majors. The biggest difference being senior year classes. Again, only anecdotal evidence.
I will say this: as a parent AND a high school teacher, I usually advise kids to take the AP/Honors classes where they can be most successful. I have seen too many kids chase the AP dream only to come crashing down in a heap of C’s and D’s. So yeah, the GPA must be protected. However, I also left my youngest daughter in a very challenging “Honors” World History class that offered no grade real bump. She got a B in the first term, but pushed herself to an A in the second. It would have been easier for her to have taken regular WH and gotten the easy A, but I think it will help her in the long run to have wrestled with a bit of difficulty. If that means she misses out on a few of the top end universities, she’ll be okay.