NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
The public school system in Nashville hopes a change in its grading scale will push its students to higher achievement.
Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Jesse Register said the district will convert to a 5-point Grade Point Average starting this school year.
This change will phase in over a two-year period beginning with students in grades 9, 10 and 11 this school year. In 2013-14, students in grade 12 will be included.
"The weighted GPA will encourage students to enroll in advanced, rigorous courses of study," said Register. "We want all our students to graduate prepared for college and career. This change is another step in cultivating a strong college-going culture in our district."
Under the new policy, students will receive an additional 1-point weight for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. Students will receive a 0.5 weight for dual enrollment and honors courses. This will reward students who enroll in more rigorous college-prep courses.
| Grade Scale: |
Grade Scale: |
GPA Calculation: |
GPA Calculation: |
GPA Calculation: |
| Letter Grade |
Numeric Value |
Un-weighted Regular |
Weighted Honors,
Dual Enrollment |
Weighted
Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate |
| A |
93-100 |
4.0 |
4.5 |
5.0 |
| B |
85-92 |
3.0 |
3.5 |
4.0 |
| C |
75-84 |
2.0 |
2.5 |
3.0 |
| D |
70-74 |
1.0 |
1.5 |
2.0 |
| F |
0-69
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
Lynn Sherman has two kids who attend Martin Luther King Magnet and said they always take tough courses. She said she's glad now their GPAs will reward them for a tough course load.
"There were kids who were unwilling to take higher level courses, because they thought they could skate in to a valedictorian with lower level and honor courses. So this really weights it to the higher achiever," Sherman said.
Several surrounding school districts, including Williamson County, already use a weighted grade scale and Metro decided to make the change after consulting with several universities.
"They told us they look for academic rigor on students' high school transcripts. One admissions representative even said I would rather see a student with a 3.0 in honors courses than a 3.5 in regular courses," Register said.
This year, the new grade scale only applies to students in grades 9 through 11, and it will be applied retroactively. It won't apply to seniors until next year, because Register said school leaders didn't want to change the rules at the last minute for them.
More than 16,000 high school students will be attending Metro schools this year.
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