Texas parents -- new class rank legislation update

<p>Right...our superintendent sent me an email to that effect. Guess other people picked the proposal apart as much as we did!</p>

<p>It seems pretty goofy to me that the 2 required years of foreign language would count, as well as AP foreign language (which is usually taken in the 4th year), but the 3rd year of foreign language would not count.</p>

<p>The big question is - can this hot potato be postponed long enough for the legislature to return to session and rescind it? The idea of a uniform GPA is nice in theory, but is a complete mess in practice.</p>

<p>It doesn't make any sence to me why they would want to change the GPA calculation. It varies per school, and the top 10% varies per school. Colleges look at your GPA through a 4.0 scale anyway, this just seems like wasted effort. I think they should just throw the top 10% rule out the window TBH. I think it's stupid. </p>

<p>DP</p>

<p>Hopefully, it will sort of just wither away. Good in theory/mess in practice describes it perfectly. </p>

<p>Dr. Paredes must have some reason for what he's attempted but his argument that the pre-AP classes are not standardized while the AP classes are, is disingenuous. The course rigor for all will vary by district, school, and teacher. While the AP classes have a standardized exam at the end, it's neither required or in the GPA calculation.</p>

<p>The Houston Chronicle had a depressing article sometime within the last couple of years that examined the disparity in AP passing rates by district and school. I can't find it now, but remember that other than Bellaire HS and one or two others, the HISD schools had abysmal passing rates on the AP tests. That was for a 3, I believe.</p>

<p>Received an email from our school district with the current proposal for the Uniform GPA plan. It looks like a 1 point for AP, IB, and dual credit and .5 point for Honors/Pre-AP, begun prior to May 1, 2012.</p>

<p>After May 1, 2013, Honors/Pre-AP courses will have to meet "Laying the Foundation, or comparable, standards". Whatever that means. Continued weighting of Honors/Pre-AP courses will be reviewed by the GPA Advisory Committee.</p>

<p>What is ironic is that anpther group is considering increasing the number of credits that can be counted (not toward the GPA-just counted as credits) towards sports. I guess in some districts, if you take your sport all 4 years, you can only get three credits. It will be bizarre if they pass that, while almost simultaneously saying sports can't be counted toward the GPA.</p>

<p>I went to a mtg on this very topic yesterday. Very interesting. Teachers and administrators came up with all kinds of issues I hadn't thought of as a parent. For instance, if some classes aren't going to count toward a student's GPA, will they blow those classes off? Teachers felt like the classes not included in GPA calculations would, in effect, become pass/fail. So then we talked about why not have two GPAs -- one to satisfy this legislation and one that would count everything and be used for all other colleges? The administrator thought this would be an "accounting" nightmare.</p>

<p>Bottom line is that people think it's been put off long enough that this Lege will come in and change it totally.</p>

<p>Here's a link to the latest update:
<a href="http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/1674.PDF%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/1674.PDF&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It's about as clear as mud.</p>

<p>firefly, this is off the topic, but you are one of those special people who know how to post links. I've looked around the forum, but can't figure it out. Could you share a hint or two?
If it turns out that you have to be using IE, I'll be stumped.</p>

<p>I looked up TAC 74.63(b) 1-6 and 11 - the list of the core classes they're going to count in the GPA. It looks like they're still not counting PE, AND state required health, speech and technology classes. Pity those teachers if the school doesn't come up with a second GPA where they do count.</p>

<p>Even with good students, if you had a choice of spending time on your speech, or your math homework, which do think you'd choose?</p>

<p>catahoula, all you do is copy the address of the think you want linked, and then paste it in. voila! It looks all pretty and blue on its own.</p>

<p>If this is blue, I win?</p>

<p>Youdon'tsay, that works, thank you. I was trying to save the link, and various other things.
I'll remember you when I'm rich and famous.</p>

<p>My apologies to everyone else for the interruption.</p>

<p>YEA!</p>

<p>10char</p>

<p>YEA! is what adults say when a child does some tremendously difficult, but rather pointless thing. I can now do a tremendously easy, but rather pointless thing. Nevertheless, I feel encouraged.</p>

<p>I took the calculation rules and my son's transcript and discovered that there is an element of picking and choosing what can be included in the calculation. For instance, 4 credits of Math are used which must include Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry. My son will have 6 credits of math (PreCal, AP Calc, AP Stats). So throw out the unweighted PreCal and add in one of the weighted AP courses.</p>

<p>So my question is - who is going to do the picking and choosing? The student? Parent? Counselor?</p>

<p>Exactly!!!! Who should get to choose? Last year Son took both regular pre-Cal and AP Comp Sci, which counts as a math. They were math classes #4 & 5 for him. He got about the same number grade on both, but of course, he'd want the weighted (AP) grade to count. What if someone (?) decided to count the regular pre-Cal grade instead?</p>

<p>Three questions:</p>

<p>I was trying to read through the document in the Texas Register. Do any of you have any idea about how to figure out how to make sense of all of references to the Texas Administrative Code? </p>

<p>Also my S is doing an idependent study class that is currently weighted at 0.5 in the school's current system. From what I understand this type of course would not be included in the GPA, for students doing this in future years; is that correct? </p>

<p>It generally seems that the consensus on CC is in support of counting HS classes taken in MS in the GPA. In our MS these classes are advanced for MS such as Algebra, but are considered to be the same class as the regular class in HS, so therefore the class carries no extra weight in the GPA as a "pre-AP" class would. This seems unfair to me since taking these classes earlier is a stretch. I also cringe at how HS is moving into MS and I wish that kids could just be kids a little longer. I'm just wondering about other people's thoughts on this.</p>

<p>I would get carpal tunnel typing out my conflicting thoughts on this. </p>

<p>I, personally, am in support of counting HS classes in MS, if for no other reason than it's not right to change the rules in the middle of the game. I know kids in my son's eighth-grade class who will have six or seven HS credits coming in as freshmen, and it's just not fair to them (or my son, who will have four HS credits).</p>

<p>The independent study thing, I'm guessing, would fall under an honors course and would receive the .5 bump. However, if I understand this right, after May 2013, schools/districts would have to justify why these are honors courses. That means some jumping through hoops, developing a curriculum and getting it approved by TEA blah blah blah.</p>

<p>I have chosen to ignore the legalese of the code and rely on Texas PTA and others to provide executive summary-type info.</p>

<p>Youdon'tsay:
Do you have a link to the PTA summary?</p>