Weighted Grades Considered
Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, a committee of teachers, along with principal Tyler Keener and guidance counselor Tyler Egli, began discussing the option of implementing weighted grades in WHS.
This committee, the Building Leadership Team, or the BLT, has looked into the option of setting the grade point for a student in Advanced Placement, honors classes or International Baccalaureate classes at a 5.0, rather than a 4.0. College Credit Plus classes must be weighed according to state code.
On Feb. 21, The Columbus Dispatch published an article titled, “Not all central Ohio schools ‘weight’ GPA for honors classes.” This article took an indepth look at Columbus area schools and the way in which they weight their grades.
Most schools, such as Pickerington, Reynoldsburg, and Hilliard, weight an A in Advanced Placement and IB on a 5.0 scale. Honors classes at said schools are weighted at a 4.5 for an A.
At WHS, the BLT has taken an in-depth look into schools such as Wadsworth and Jackson, but has not yet come to a decision on the scale at which the grades will be weighted, according to Keener.
When applying to colleges, a weighted grade is often unweighted.
According to Kent State Assistant Director of Admissions, Aaron Berger, KSU unweights grades back to a 4.0 scale while examining applications. Oftentimes, however, schools such as Kent will keep grades weighed when considering scholarships, Berger said.
Berger believes weighted grades reward students who have rigorous classes, especially AP and IB courses.
To take a look at a more local school, the College of Wooster does not follow the policy of unweighting grades when looking at admission, and also considers the grade with the weight added when looking at scholarships, according to Jennifer Winge, Dean of Admissions.
Winge stated, “A weighted GPA indicates that students are taking more rigorous coursework… something that they should be rewarded for.”
Science Dept. chairman and BLT member Charles Cerniglia stated that weighted grades could help determine valedictorian, class rank and scholarships for WHS students.
