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<p>Welcome to Lake Wobegon.</p>
<p>Our HS does not include PE in the GPA calculation. However AP classes and honors classes get a 10 and 5 point boost in the weighted GPA.</p>
<p>Regarding grade inflation, I think our HS has effectively resisted this trend. I’ll offer a few statistics. During the past 5 years no student has graduated with a 100+ WGPA. Our school does limit the number of AP a student may take(3 junior and senior year-none soph-frosh year). But that still allows students to full the remainder of the schedule with mostly honors(+5) courses. The Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society requires students to have a 95+ wgpa in at least three math courses including precalc. Typically less than 5% qualify and in my son’s class the %age was 3.2%. Of the 36 students in the APCalc classes only 5 had an unweighted final average of 90+ going into finals week and quite a few had unweighted averages of less than 80. However 66% got grades of 4 or 5 on the AP exam vs a national average in 2004 of 44.12.</p>
<p>I do know that the Guidance Office does provide a supplemental statistical report of grade distributions with its school profile so that our students are not at a disadvantage with adcom’s.</p>
<p>Interesting topic…S has a 3.0 unweighted average and is ranked smack in the middle of a 600 student class - only 30% of students in his school go on to a 4 year colleges…if so many students have such good GPA’s, why don’t more go to sollege for four years (this is a middle-upper middle income area) something seems very “off” to me…</p>
<p>If you use unweighted averages, you will get skewed results that look like grade inflation. If you weight the grades, it becomes much less skewed. For example, my daughter goes to a school that has mostly magnet kids. A weighted 4.0 puts her in the top 25%, maybe.</p>
<p>Our high school does give extra weight for honors and AP courses, but all classes (including PE, which is required for 4 years) are included in the GPA calculation. Non-academic electives like concert band, chorus, etc. never receive extra weight - which is OK. But, kids are actually playing games with their GPA - not taking electives (when they are talented musicians and artists) and replacing it with a study hall so that their GPA will get a boost. Rather sad - the district has finally acknowledged the problem and is actually penalizing kids for not taking these electives.</p>
<p>S’s weighted GPA is just a little higher - like 3.2 I think. Doesn’t change his rank much…He takes several AP’s (can’t take those until Junior Year at his HS) - no extra weight for the honors courses he took before we moved here in 10th grade. Hopefully the (not selective) schools he’s applying to will see that he did take a rigorous load -
his SAT’s are quite good fortunately</p>
<p>Colleges recalculate the gpa so that they can compare apples to apples. So padding the transcript is of little use in college admissions. But a lot of games can be played for the valeditorian/salutatorian honors as many schools have some intricacies in the way the gpa for those are computed. Putting off a course that may give a low grade until second semester senior year or other strategic moves can enhance one’s chances.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Did you pad your GPA by getting out of P.E. classes? Not factored in. Sadly… I seriously laughed at a couple of cheerleaders asking if how they could get an A+ in the class instead of just A’s. I was thinking, “you are so dumb- gym isn’t even counted in!”</p></li>
<li><p>Did you pad your GPA by taking a strategic pass? Naw unfortunately. All the classes that interested me were APs. But I did choose the AP courses that I knew I’d do well. And particular one that was known for giving out generous grades…</p></li>
<li><p>Did you pad your GPA by going back to instructors and getting grades changed? Occasionally- usually with two or three of my teachers. Only if the number was at least .5 away from the next letter grade up (Such as 89.3 would get me to attempt to convince my physics teacher to give me an A- (89.5-92.5)-that didn’t work).</p></li>
<li><p>Did any of your instructors give you an A to help you maintain your 4.0
status? Nope.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>See Snapple05’s post- we go to the same high school :)</p>
<p>At my son’s school, PE is not part of the GPA. I don’t know if art or music classes are considered either, since my D only took chorus in Fresh year because an “art” class was a requiaremet. She did get an A. Whether or not that affects her GPA…I’m not sure. I don’t factor it in when I compute her GPA, and I’m not sure if the school did.</p>
<p>Our school would never, ever inflate grades. (although an Honors or AP class is given 5 points instead of 4 for an A). And our Honors Classes are honest to goodness honors classes, not College Prep. My two other kids are in College Prep classes now, and there are far, far different from the Honors classes my senior took in 9th and 10th grade.</p>
<p>As far as a teacher changing a grade…ha-ha-ha-ha. That will happen when pigs fly.</p>
<p>Interesting; but giving 5 points for an A instead of 4 is inflating the grade. After reading all of the above responses to my original inquiry I am ready to draw a few conclusions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A lot of students work very hard to earn top marks</p></li>
<li><p>The general pattern of not computing PE and other classes + giving 5s for AP classes + the occassional change of grade and other strategic measures turn a lot of
3.5 -3.75 students into 3.8 - 4.0 students.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Now, I want to ask the hard question. There is a general sense often reported in the press that cheating is well on its way to becoming the norm in secondary and college educational settings. So, anyone care to comment on whether or not they have ever cheated on exams etc. in order to obtain a high grade? Or, care to comment on the general societal perception about increased cheating?</p>
<p>“>>e.g., almost half of the class in H.S. is on the so-called honor roll.<<”
I know a school like that. Does it change things a bit if more than a quarter of them are also NMSC semi-finalists? :D</p>
<p>Our school requires p.e. for four years and does add it into the gpa. I don’t really see why it matters since colleges weight them (and throw gym out) again anyway. The school changed the weighing system a couple of years ago and I think it’s more like what colleges use. Honors classes (science and english are the only honors classes we have) are weighted 1/2 a credit and ap’s get a full point. No pass/fail classes. </p>
<p>I can only speak for my kids but they have not been successful in talking any of their teachers into changing grades. The school has a policy (soon to change in 2006 unbeknowst to the kids) that if you get an A for 4 quarters, you can skip the final. If you get an A- in any quarter, you take the final. Well, or B’s or C’s, etc!</p>
<p>“—not been successful in talking any of their teachers into changing grades.” Have you tried?</p>
<p>Our school requires Phys Ed for four years and calculates it into the GPA. Music, band, orchestra, and chorus are added into the GPA; the District just allowed these to be offered as Honors with extra work. Our school requires four semesters of visual, practical, or performing arts courses. Honors and AP courses carry the same extra weight over regular level courses. There are no pass/fail courses. Some kids double up on Sciences to up their GPA and some do it just because they love science. Our kids receive solid A’s, B’s, or C’s but + and - will be added this year or next for the freshmen.</p>
<p>In S’s class. only 4 NMSF out of close to 600 students…Re: grade changing…S’s Math Class last year was AP - he had many problems - some his fault,some not (extenuating circumstances)resulting in a disaster in the second semester after a high B first semester - teacher is letting him “retake” the second semester and we have been told the grade will be adjusted if he does well…teacher is one of the best at the school and has been exceptionally kind to many students who have encountered problems if he is comfortable they are not “slackers” - I am not sure I agree with the policy even tho’ S may benefit from it…S’s AP History Teacher gave an automatic A to anyone who got a 5 on the AP History test…S got a 4 -not sure how I feel about that either, or whether this is common…but in my opinion, the teacher is entitled to run his/her classroom pretty much how they see fit…</p>
<ol>
<li>No. “Lifetime Wellness” is required as is Art I (either that or AP Music Theory with an incompetent “instructor”) but they hurt GPAs more than they help.</li>
<li>No, I should have (French III was a waste of a year) which would have helped me keep pace for valedictorian, but I deferred. </li>
<li>No. Once I got a 92.3 from a teacher that was about to be fired and hated me, but I refused to ask for the time of day from that person. </li>
<li>No again. We have to earn our grades.</li>
</ol>
<p>Our school weights GPA in a way unlike any other I’ve heard of though. Honors classes have 5 points for an A and AP get 6 for an A. Thus we have 120 people over a 4.0 at our school and everyone in the top 20 has 5.0 at least. So it looks inflated, but it makes for tougher competition at school with everyone taking 8+ APs (and passing the tests). It makes scheduling a nightmare though since every little class matters so much.</p>
<p>not been successful in talking any of their teachers into changing grades." Have you tried?</p>
<p>Me?? Why would I do that? It’s not my grade. I’ll jump in and talk to a teacher, gc, Principal about general stuff but I really would never know enough information to argue about a grade.</p>
<p>We emailed one teacher after my S got a report with a C in the class, but very positive comments about the class. It was so out of line with what we knew of his performance that we knew it must be a mistake. It was. So the grade was changed, but not as a result of pleading.</p>
<p>Regarding the Canadian grading scale, it seems inflated by American standards. But the more important thing is to ask how does a student get a grade of 86 (A)? It is far easier for an American student to get a 90 than a French student to get 80. 80 in France is considered an excellent score, and will earn a student honors on the baccalaureate; definitely the equivalent of an A. It would be at best mediocre here. So the grading practice --different from the grading scale–may justify considering 86 A-worthy.</p>
<p>I have read that colleges “recalculate” GPA’s - is there any standard whatsoever? Do most colleges drop the electives, PE, and such when calculating? Do most count freshman year, but give more weight to soph and junior? It sounds like most colleges have their own system, but maybe they don’t share it with outsiders?</p>
<p>My understanding is that colleges do have their own system but do not keep it secret.
A few that I contacted said the same thing: they consider only core courses: English, social studies, math and science, maybe foreign languages. They do not include arts electives or PE.
Our high school does not weigh. A GC told me there was no point as colleges recalculate. However, high school GPAs do count for rankings and colleges (and scholarships) take rankings very seriously.</p>