Below please find a variety of frequently asked questions regarding the new 7-12 grading scale recently adopted by the Grandview Heights Board of Education.
QUESTION: Can you describe the process and research that led to the grading scale change?
- Staff conversations began in the fall of 2013.
- Research with similar/like districts across the state of Ohio began in the spring of 2014.
- The Grandview Heights High School Building Leadership Team met throughout the fall and winter of 2014 to share research found and discuss mission, vision, values.
- Research included conversations with college admissions counselors, teachers in other districts, counselors in other districts, principals in other districts, and superintendents in other districts.
- Research included the study of documentation from 20 similar/like high schools throughout the state regarding grading scale, weighted values of AP, Honors, Dual Enrollment, and PSEO coursework.
- Research included current literature and research regarding assessment, grading practices, and college admission.
- Research included implementation process of grading scale changes with other districts.
QUESTION: What are the basic differences in the new grading scale?
- 90/80/70/60 grading scale
- 5.0 weighted grade values for all AP and College Credit Plus (Dual Enrollment, PSEO) course offerings
- Honors courses will remain as a 4.5 weighted grade value.
- Students will begin to receive the weighted bump in AP, College Credit Plus, and Honors courses when they receive a C or higher.
QUESTION: When will the new board approved grading scale phase in?
- Universal phase in for all students will begin in the 2015-16 school year
- Board approved at the January 2015 Grandview Heights Board of Education meeting
QUESTION: Why did you choose to make this a 7-12 grading scale change as opposed to a high school only change?
- 7-12 assessment and grading practices provide consistency for students, staff, and families
- Our district has committed to higher levels of articulation and continuity in all areas and this is another way we can better serve our students
- 90/80/70/60 grading scale is also more aligned to colleges/university grading scales
QUESTION: Why did you choose not to make this change retroactive?
- ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Changing past grades places our district in a highly questionable light and could negatively impact our reputation and the validity of our transcripts.
- Negative implications regarding refunds for students who have paid to take a class as a credit recovery effort because they failed a course (that they would not have failed) and paid to re-take the class online or in the summer.
- It is philosophically difficult to justify a change to the rules of a game after it has been played.
- Best practices do not allow a retroactive conversion as it represents a change in the original intent of the grade given by the teacher, thus compromising the integrity of the grade.
QUESTION: What type of impact do you anticipate this change will have on student GPA’s?
- The effect on GPAs is impossible to project due to the impact that selecting high rigor courses will have on GPAs.
- Our research samples showed a positive effect size on current GHHS student transcripts. There is zero question that this will give our students a better opportunity to be competitive.
- Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior grades with various levels of rigor of coursework were all considered.
QUESTION: What type of impact do you anticipate this change will have on the strength of high school transcripts and college acceptance?
- AP Weight: The biggest impact of this change will be the ability students now have to strengthen the rigor of their transcripts because of an increased weighted point value.
- Our conversations with representatives from college board, college admissions counselors, and higher education representatives in general all lead to a need for students to strengthen the rigor of their high school transcript.
QUESTION: How do colleges and universities consider high school transcripts and GPA when selecting students for acceptance?
- Some colleges immediately unweight GPA’s and consider the rigor of courses taken and their GPA in those courses. There are some colleges/universities who do not unweight grades.
- The impact that rigor of coursework has on a transcript is undisputed and universally recognized in acceptance practices.
- GPA is in many cases the first criteria used when selecting a pool of students to be considered for acceptance.
QUESTION: How many years will my son/daughter have at GHHS under the new board approved grading scale?
- Freshman: Current Freshman (Class of 2018) will have one year of the current grading scale and three years of the new board approved grading scale.
- Sophomores: Current Sophomores (Class of 2017) will have two year of the current grading scale and two years of the new board approved grading scale
- Juniors: Current Juniors (Class of 2016) will have three years of the current grading scale and one year of the new board approved grading scale.
- Seniors: Current Seniors (Class of 2015) will graduate with four years under the current grading scale.
QUESTION: If colleges/universities see that our students have a new grading scale and my son/daughter only has one or two years as a student under the new grading scale, how will colleges/universities know this?
- With EVERY transcript that we send to colleges, we attach a school profile that breaks down grading scale, and weighted point values.
- We will send transcripts with both grading scales outlined in our school profile. The first grading scale listed will be the scale used currently (prior to the 15-16 school year) and the new board approved grading scale will be listed below it.