posted by: Bass, Joseph A - MNPS at Jul 23, 2012 1:40:00 PM
Tougher high school courses better prepare students for college so Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is changing its high school GPA calculations to encourage and reward students who choose academic rigor.
Nueva escala de calificaciones 5.0 para las escuelas preparatorias (high schools) promueve el rigor académico
The district will convert to a 5-point Grade Point Average (GPA) in 2012-13. This change will phase in over a two-year period beginning with students in grades 9, 10 and 11 this school year, which begins Wednesday, August 1. In 2013-14, students in grade 12 will be included.
“The weighted GPA will encourage students to enroll in advanced, rigorous courses of study,” said Jesse Register, director of schools. “We want all our students to graduate prepared for college and career. This change is another step in cultivating a strong college-going culture in our district.”
Under the new policy, students will receive an additional 1 point weight for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. Students will receive a 0.5 weight for dual enrollment and honors courses. This will reward students who enroll in more rigorous college-prep courses.
Grade Scale: |
GPA Calculation: |
Letter Grade |
Numeric Value |
Un-weighted Regular |
Weighted Honors, Dual Enrollment |
Weighted Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate |
A |
93-100 |
4.0 |
4.5 |
5.0 |
B |
85-92 |
3.0 |
3.5 |
4.0 |
C |
75-84 |
2.0 |
2.5 |
3.0 |
D |
70-74 |
1.0 |
1.5 |
2.0 |
F |
0-69 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
“The new 5-point GPA aligns Metro Schools with surrounding districts and districts across the United States,” said Jay Steele, associate superintendent for high schools. “We discussed our plans with admissions officers at public and private universities. They told us they look for academic rigor and some said the weighted GPA would help students applying to their schools.”
A 5-point GPA will shape future valedictorian and salutatorian selections and honor student designations. Two GPAs will be recorded on student transcripts, a weighted 5-point GPA and an unweighted 4-point GPA. Many universities request both weighted and unweighted GPAs on student transcripts and want school districts to encourage students to take more advanced courses.
Research from the College Board, which administers the SAT, shows rigorous high school classes improve student performance on college entrance exams and college success.
Current 9th, 10th and 11th grade students will receive retroactive GPA calculations as the system is updated to reflect the new GPA. Current seniors will not be included in the new calculation.
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