<p>Our school has been weighting AP classes with 1.0 points and D/C and pre AP classes with 0.5 points. They plan to change this next year by not weighting pre AP classes and weighting D/C and AP classes the same and 0.5 points. I have heard that there is lots of variation in how schools weight different classes. I am wondering if there is anything that is close to standard. What does your school do?</p>
<p>After years here, I’ve learned nothing is standard.</p>
<p>We don’t have “pre-AP” but do have honors which I assume is similar.</p>
<p>Slow “sheltered” classes - weight is times 1.0 100 -> 100
Regular and “NYS Regents” (which have a state exam at the end) is times 1.05 100 ->105
Honors and AP and Dual Credit is times 1.10 100 -> 110</p>
<p>Highest ever in the school weighted GPA in older son’s class was 106 point something. I don’t know if anyone has beaten him. I have no idea how our scale translates into 4.0 scale.</p>
<p>Our school does not weight since the state unis in our state do not weight. Straight scale regardless of rigor of class. Classes are clearly labeled AP on the transcripts. The “honors/most rigorous classes” are listed in the transcript.</p>
<p>D’s school doesn’t have dual credit classes. There are no “pre-AP” classes, but there are Honors classes. Honors and AP are weighted equally; they get an extra 0.5. So if an A in a regular class is 4.0, an A in an honors or AP class is 4.5. Honors and AP are the only courses weighted differently. Precalculus, which is said to be the hardest non-honors class in the school, and which requires accelerated algebra and accelerated geometry as prerequisites, is weighted exactly the same as remedial basic math.</p>
<p>S’s school doesn’t have dual credit classes. There are no “pre-AP” classes, but there are Honors classes. Honors and AP are weighted equally; they get an extra 1.0 So if an A in a regular class is 4.0, an A in an honors or AP class is 5.0. HOWEVER, the weighting for an AP class is ONLY given IF the AP exam is taken (a passing AP test score isn’t required but taking the test is to get the weighting … and val/sal is based upon weighted academic class GPA.)</p>
<p>What is a “pre-AP” class?</p>
<p>Our school has basic (I think these may be remedial but are not special ed.), regular, honors, and AP. Honors and AP are weighted one full point; in other words, if you get a B (3.0) in the class it would be weighted to a 4.0.</p>
<p>My school doesn’t weight any class. All are honors though. AP get the same amount as the rest of the clases. Getting an A in algebra I goes to the GPA the same amount as getting an A in AP BC Calc.</p>
<p>The only classes you could call “AP classes” at our school are Calculus AB and BC. Those classes are not weighted, nor are they designated as AP classes (something about not wanting to do the paperwork with CB and give up control over part of the curriculum).</p>
<p>All honors and AP are weighted such that A=5.0, B=4.0 etc.</p>
<p>AP Classes = +1 if you pass
Honors = +0
Dual Credit = not sure if they even count (but certainly no extra points)</p>
<p>All GPA’s out of 4.</p>
<p>Our public schools give no additional weight for honors or AP. An A in remedial math counts for the same as an A in AP Calc BC. Neither gpa nor rank reflect rigor of course load.</p>
<p>While the schools offer a very full load of AP courses (we regularly top the state for AP awards), many students never take a single AP course or honors course. Since our schools are incredibly diverse with respect to family income as well as family education levels (college town with virtually no private school options and a pretty large low-income segment), we get some strange results in the class rank.</p>
<p>There is a reason the schools continue to balk at allowing gpa and/or rank to reflect course rigor, but no one says it out loud.</p>
<p>our system weights both AP and honors classes (the other level class is regular and they are not weighted.) At the end of the MP, the class average for AP classes has 5 pts. added and the honors classes have 3 pts added. In addition the AP class has a 1pt higher on the GPA and the honors classes have .5 higher on the GPA</p>
<p>Why does it matter how a high school weights grades? Colleges will weight them how they want and public schools follow whatever the state guidelines are for grade weighting. In MA, for example, public universities and colleges weight on the 1 for AP, .5 for honors scale whether your high school does or not. It’s the law.</p>
<p>Through this school year:
Honors/Pre-AP no weight
AP 0.7 (must take AP exam, school district pays for it)</p>
<p>After a prolonged battle (which also involved grade scale which I will not address here), beginning next school year:</p>
<p>Honors 0.5
AP 1.0</p>
<p>What constitutes an “honors” class for this purpose has not yet been established. The courses currently designated as “honors” are included, but decisions have not been made on classes such as pre-calc., 4th year foreign language,classes taken ahead (i.e. 6th & 7th graders taking high school level classes), classes taken at the science magnet school, etc.</p>
<p>This all needs to be determined. In addition, because of budget cuts, the school district will no longer be paying for AP exams after this year. </p>
<p>Changes were made because a group of very vocal parents demanded them. The proverbial “Pandora’s Box” is wide open.</p>
<p>Lergnmom, it matters how schools weigh grades because that’s how they compute class ranks. Not all states/state universities have a standard way of computing GPA’s. For example, in Texas, the top 10% of every high school is guaranteed admission to any state university. If there’s no weighting, it’s possible that a kid who took only “remedial” courses throughout high school and got all high A’s could be in the top 10% while a kid who took all AP’s, honors, etc might be in the top 20%. The second kid’s chances at the state flagship are significantly reduced. Even for private universities, if a kid’s rank is 25 percentile because it’s unweighted (same scenario as above) it might raise a few questions on the admissions committee for a school that says that 95% of it’s students are in the top 10%.</p>
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<p>I don’t for one minute believe that colleges re-calculate the GPA’s of thousands upon thousands of applicants. They’d have to do so by hand.</p>
<p>prefect, </p>
<p>Texas is one of those oddball exceptions (for this at least) because of the state practice of offering admission based solely on class rank. </p>
<p>In the rest of the world, (OK, rest of the US, with some exceptions) there is very little that is automatic based on class rank. In fact, a lot of competitive HS refuse to even compute or publish class rank. Most of the schools in suburban Boston do not, for example. Others publish two lists - one based on weighted GPA, one based on unweighted. </p>
<p>I think it also should be recognized that your local school is well aware of the nuances of college admissions in your state, and no doubt has a GPA weighting policy that is a suitable compromise based on local circumstances. </p>
<p>This issue has been around on these boards for years. Funny thing is how little difference the varying policies make in practice. Regardless of how this is done, there will be winners and losers. But that is true of college admissions in general. </p>
<p>Once you’ve been through the process, you will see how arbitrary it all seems. GPA calculation will be the least of your concerns. </p>
<p>And once your kid graduates from college, you may (but maybe not?) see how much the whole admissions game was a tempest in a teapot. Think jobs. Think grad or professional school. Those are life defining events even more than undergrad college choice.</p>
<p>My new school doesn’t weight.</p>
<p>My old school did something weird. They calculated your GPA using quality points (I think this is standard fare). Then, they added up the number of weighted credits (all honors and AP courses). Honors classes were one weighted credit and AP classes were two weighted credits. So, if you took two AP courses and three honors courses you’d have seven weighted credits. Then they would multiply the number of weighted credits by .035. They’d add that result to your unweighted GPA and call it a weight.</p>
<p>So…</p>
<p>uncalculated GPA = 3.5
2 AP courses, 3 honors courses = 7 weighted credits
7 weighted credits x .035 = .245
3.5 + .245 = 3.745 weighted GPA</p>
<p>So my cumulative GPA for ninth and tenth grade was:
3.91 unweighted
10 weighted credits x .035 = .35
3.91 + .35 = 4.26</p>
<p>Here is the lineup at S’s school:</p>
<p>AP, pre-AP, honors calculated on 5 pt scale
Dual credit on 4.5 scale
Regulars and most electives on 4 pt scale</p>
<p>Under this scenario, your gpa will suffer if you take too many electives (even if you make 4s) in addition to your AP classes and dual credit. We learned the hard way. </p>
<p>Junior year S took Computer Animation/Independent Study and beginning piano (very challenging). He loved loved both and learned a lot. But the highest grade possible was a 4 and those brought his average DOWN. More savvy AP kids who took NO electives or registered Pass/Fail moved ahead in the GPA race .</p>
<p>His class rank dropped from 1st to 7 or 8. </p>
<p>Would have been nice if a counselor had explained all this before the fact. </p>
<p>Oh well, graduation is just around the corner, he’s goign to a great school and I suspect no one will ever ask about his GPA again.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh city schools offer gifted classes at the high school level (Centers for Advanced Study). All CAS, IB, or AP classes receive an additional .5 credit. Honors classes that are not CAS receive an additional .25 credit. The weighted grades are not used for class rank. At graduation students who have completed at least 8 CAS credits and the long term projects for each year, receive a CAS diploma.</p>