I noticed that in the Cal State application, it prompts you to input middle school grades under 9th grade. Wouldn’t this mean that Cal Poly wouldn’t know the difference between whether you took a class in middle school and high school? Also, I don’t have the transcripts from my middle school and it doesn’t show up on my high school transcript, so what should I do? Do I have to send two separate transcripts, one from my middle school and one from my high school, to Cal Poly Slo? This is so confusing. Help!
Middle school classes are only used to calculate rigor. They don’t figure into your GPA. No middle school transcript is needed. Good luck.
@eyemgh Yeah, but how do they know if I took it in middle school or high school? The Cal State application says enter 7th and 8th grades as 9th grade. Also, I don’t know the grades I received in these classes because they’re from middle school and I don’t have access to the transcripts. What do I do? If I enter them as 9th grade grades then won’t they expect to see it in my high school transcript? I don’t understand LOL.
@eyemgh It says “Enter middle school courses in the 9th grade year (if applicable).”
That’s a great question. I think it was in a different box when my son filled out his app. I’d call Cal Poly admissions. They’re friendly and helpful. Good luck!
I was told by Cal Poly admissions that it DID count in the GPA. Since the MCA is calculated by a computer and there is nothing in the application that differentiates which classes were 8th grade and which were 9th, the 8th grade classes now count toward the grade point average.
That is weird! I called admissions and they said that they would know based on the course rigor whether it was a middle school or 9th grade class. They said they would NOT put the middle school class as part of the GPA. Something sounds fishy here?
When I called, the person first stated that middle school grades did not count. When I explained that the classes would be listed as 9th grade classes, with no readily discernible distinction between middle school and high school classes, the person changed her mind and said that all the grades would count in the GPA.
In our case, it mattered because my daughter had an unweighted 4.0 in high school, but got a B+ in middle school and it happened to be first semester of Algebra. So if the grade counts, it actually blemished her GPA.
Yeah I told them the same thing, but they said they’d know based on the course rigor. This is so weird. Do you know if we have to send the middle school transcripts if the classes aren’t listed on my high school? If not, couldn’t people just lie…
I think in the old application, it (middle school) had it’s own box. I know for certain that they did not need middle school transcripts.
If they can intuit what year certain maths were taken by working backwards from the higher maths, it begs the question, why not just give rigor credit based on the highest math achieved and do away with that confusing part of the application? My only guess is that they have so many applicants, it’s a screening penalty for not fully reading the application directions. It certainly seems like it could be better.
My first two kids applied in 2014 and 2016. The middle school entry was separate. Now, it is part of the transcript portion and is part of the GPA calculation on the a-g summary. When entering the course title my S added the grade level (i.e. 7th) to differentiate. Not sure what will actually be used in GPA calculations, but I think it would be labor intensive to determine which classes are middle school as there is no uniform method of differentiating.
Since the grades are not on the H.S. transcript how would they verify? Very odd.
Okay, they emailed me and said that they count as part of the gpa. However, they don’t verify your middle school transcripts. What’s stopping people from lying then?
Personal integrity?
I mean I’d hope so. However, this system doesn’t seem fair.
There is a difference between taking middle school classes in middle school and high school classes in middle school. For example, most of our local middle schools offer regular classes and high school classes. So in 7th grade, for example, one can take either 7th grade math (usually Pre-algebra) or Algebra 1. If you take pre-algebra that is not going to be on your high school transcript. However, if you take Algebra 1 in 7th grade, that will be on the transcript. There is a system in place between the middle and high schools. That will also be calculated in your GPA since it is high school credit.
My current 8th grader is taking three high school credits - Algebra 1, Earth Science, and Spanish 1 So he will enter 9th grade with 3 high school credits… Some kids took Algebra 1 in 7th grade and are taking Geometry this year in 8th grade, so they will enter with 4 high school credits. However there are many kids who are just taking Math 8, Science 8, etc. Not high school level classes. Therefore they will enter 9th grade with no high school credits.
The Guidance Counselor at the high school knows what is considered high school level courses and what isn’t. Only high school classes taken in middle school will be on your transcript.
Hope that helps!
I’m playing Devil’s Advocate here, so take this with a grain of salt, but what admissions process IS fair? Is it fair that holistic schools can chose whatever reason they want to accept or reject you? Is it fair that most elite private schools give such an advantage to legacies that they are 5-7 times more likely to get admitted than a non-legacy? I would certainly hope that students are honest in their applications, but on balance, Cal Poly is one of the “fairest” schools out there.
I should also add that on my oldest son’s transcript (he is now a freshman in college), his official high school transcript clearly stated that his Algebra 1 was taken in middle school and transferred to the high school. That was the ONLY high school class he took in middle school and therefore the only grade that was on his transcript.
@sbgal2011 you are assuming that every High School is exactly the same as yours. My daughter’s Middle School and High School are located right next door to each other. In 7th grade she walked from the Middle School to the high school and took Geometry. In 8th grade she walked from the Middle School to the high school and took Japanese 1 and Algebra 2.
The grades for those three classes are not on her High School transcript and are not included in the GPA on her high school transcript. Assuming the Cal Poly app doesn’t change in the next two years when she applies to Cal Poly it sounds like I will have to try to remember what grades she got.
PS she took algebra 1 in elementary school. Who knows what we will do with that.
That’s so strange that the credits wouldn’t transfer to the high school and reflect on the transcript. It’s ridiculous that a school system couldn’t keep the records straight, that must be incredibly frustrating. I live in a Navy town where families come and go and even with that challenge our Guidance Counselors are spot-on with keeping transcripts accurate. I guess we are fortunate to live in an area where the schools have a good system in place.