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<p>Any ranking system can be gamed to some extent, and can have unintended consequences in terms of influencing students’ course selections.</p>
<p>Perhaps using a ranking system based on grade points, not GPA, and only having weighting on courses for which there is a “more rigorous” and “less rigorous” option (e.g. regular versus honors precalculus) might help.</p>
<p>Many college admissions offices unweigh them and recalculates their own way. Our DS’s school weighs APs at 5.0 and honors classes at 4.5. Some of the honors classes are elligible for the dual enrollment with a local community college.</p>
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I am not sure I understand the difference, grade points vs grade point average
I think you mean something like:
<p>I am afraid that student will take 4 yr PE instead of the required 1.
People that are ahead in Math sequence will stop taking the more rigorous classes once they complete the 3 or 4 yr of required Math and take basket weaving instead.</p>
<p>If people want to game the system, they will try to game the system.</p>
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<p>That way, taking an extra course would benefit the student’s total grade points for ranking purposes, instead of hurting the GPA if it is an unweighted course.</p>
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<p>No, PE would still be 4.0, as would other courses where there is no choice between a more and less rigorous option. However, using grade points instead of GPA, taking extra PE courses as extra courses would not penalize students, but taking extra PE to fill schedule space instead of continuing along honors math or other subjects would.</p>
<p>Oh, I see, you mean total grade points.
That would not change things much.
ie., If you have 7 periods X 4 years, the max number of courses you can take is 28.
If you take more advanced courses, you still have higher total grade points.</p>
<p>What about taking more classes in the summer? and online classes, what do you do with those ?</p>