Kentucky GPA system

[ScarHeel]

Count me in. In fact, I know they don't, and more specifically, the people granting scholarships do not.

 

Raceland, until this past school year, used the 94-100 - A, 85-93 - B, and so on. This past school year they changed to 90-100 - A, 80-89 - B, and so on. This was done because most of the other schools in the area was using this scale and Raceland students were missing out on academic specific scholarships. Students from other schools who had an "A" in a class with a percentage of 92% was getting the scholarship because the student at Raceland had a "B" for that same 92%.

 

I was told by teachers and counselors that colleges and Scholarship boards were only looking at the letter grade, and not the percentage.

 

That's scary to think about...

[Ram]

That's scary to think about...

I agree, but that's the word on the street, at least in my neck of the woods. I suppose it could be a regional thing.

[bluethunder]

What about KEES money. Doesn't the GPA determine the amount of money the student recieves? So a 90 at one school is an A and they recieve X amount of money but at another school a 90 is a B and they would recieve less money. Is that correct??

[True blue (and gold)]

What about KEES money. Doesn't the GPA determine the amount of money the student recieves? So a 90 at one school is an A and they recieve X amount of money but at another school a 90 is a B and they would recieve less money. Is that correct??

 

That is exactly correct.

 

My school did an overhaul of the system last year. Let me start by saying I do not agree with all changes. However, we went to the 10 pt system (90-100 =A, 80-89 +B, ect.) We did away with D's. We also went to a weighted GPA system, so we have some classes that could bump your GPA over a 4.0 (which still counts as a 4.0 for KEES money). We also did away with valedictorian and salutatorian...which is my major problem with our system.

[True blue (and gold)]

I agree with you whole-heartedly. To say that scales from one school are immaterial versus the scales of another is simply off-base and speak to the very core of this issue. I don't believe colleges do near the in-depth analysis of grades as is being claimed. Can you imagine the amount of work and time it would take to decipher each school/district's grading system for every prospective student so that they could all be compared equally? And, even if so, why make it so complicated? Everyone in the state should be on the same scale so we know with certainly that apples are being compared with apples.

 

I don't disagree with what you have said...but, as regards the bolded portion, keep in mind that an A in one teacher's class may be worth more than an A in another teacher's class. Also, shouldn't their be a difference between an "A" earned in Calculus and an "A" earned in, say, freshman PE?

[Clyde]

What about KEES money. Doesn't the GPA determine the amount of money the student recieves? So a 90 at one school is an A and they recieve X amount of money but at another school a 90 is a B and they would recieve less money. Is that correct??

 

Here's an email regarding this from a manager at the KEES office:

 

The school districts have control of where they set their numerical scales for the letter grades. However, the KEES program somewhat standardizes the GPA calculation method by requiring all high schools to use a standard 4.0 scale when reporting for KEES. This means the school should translate their A, B, C, etc numerical grades to a 4.0 scale before GPAs are calculated. The KEES program also requires schools to place additional weight on GPAs for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses. The grades for those courses are counted into the GPA calculation using a 5.0 scale, meaning an A is worth 5 points, B is 4.0, C is 3.0, etc.

[cooperstown]

Here's an email regarding this from a manager at the KEES office:

 

The school districts have control of where they set their numerical scales for the letter grades. However, the KEES program somewhat standardizes the GPA calculation method by requiring all high schools to use a standard 4.0 scale when reporting for KEES. This means the school should translate their A, B, C, etc numerical grades to a 4.0 scale before GPAs are calculated. The KEES program also requires schools to place additional weight on GPAs for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses. The grades for those courses are counted into the GPA calculation using a 5.0 scale, meaning an A is worth 5 points, B is 4.0, C is 3.0, etc.

 

And that's the whole crux of the issue:

 

School #1 in Kentucky calls anything from 90-100 an "A" and awards all "A's" a 4.0 School #2 in Kentucky (let's call them Boone County, just for fun :irked:) has decided that an "A" is 94-100 and also awards fractional GPA points - i.e., 100 average is a 4.0, 97 average is a 3.8, 94 average is a 3.6 (or whatever). So a student in School #1 can have a bunch of final grades of 90 and be listed as a 4.0 student. A student from School #2 can have a solid 96 average in all classes and have a GPA of 3.75 or so. And when this type of arbitrary system allows differing amounts of KEES money to be paid to students, it's unfair.

 

I would simply love to hear an explanation of why Kentucky DOE would standardize such things as cirriculum, certifications, textbooks, etc.., but then have no mandate that all Kentucky schools use the same grading scale. A grading scale, mind you, that is critical in determining the potential to compete for scholarship money.

[True blue (and gold)]

And that's the whole crux of the issue:

 

School #1 in Kentucky calls anything from 90-100 an "A" and awards all "A's" a 4.0 School #2 in Kentucky (let's call them Boone County, just for fun :irked:) has decided that an "A" is 94-100 and also awards fractional GPA points - i.e., 100 average is a 4.0, 97 average is a 3.8, 94 average is a 3.6 (or whatever). So a student in School #1 can have a bunch of final grades of 90 and be listed as a 4.0 student. A student from School #2 can have a solid 96 average in all classes and have a GPA of 3.75 or so. And when this type of arbitrary system allows differing amounts of KEES money to be paid to students, it's unfair.

 

I would simply love to hear an explanation of why Kentucky DOE would standardize such things as cirriculum, certifications, textbooks, etc.., but then have no mandate that all Kentucky schools use the same grading scale. A grading scale, mind you, that is critical in determining the potential to compete for scholarship money.

 

 

FYI - Textbooks aren't standardized. We just adopted science books this summer. I had about 15 chemistry books that I could choose from off of their approved list, which just means that the book meets certain criteria.

[sweet16]

FYI - Textbooks aren't standardized. We just adopted science books this summer. I had about 15 chemistry books that I could choose from off of their approved list, which just means that the book meets certain criteria.

 

Your right about that but most have basically the same materail but there are some that are AP. We just adopted science books as well.

[Clyde]

And that's the whole crux of the issue:

 

School #1 in Kentucky calls anything from 90-100 an "A" and awards all "A's" a 4.0 School #2 in Kentucky (let's call them Boone County, just for fun :irked:) has decided that an "A" is 94-100 and also awards fractional GPA points - i.e., 100 average is a 4.0, 97 average is a 3.8, 94 average is a 3.6 (or whatever). So a student in School #1 can have a bunch of final grades of 90 and be listed as a 4.0 student. A student from School #2 can have a solid 96 average in all classes and have a GPA of 3.75 or so. And when this type of arbitrary system allows differing amounts of KEES money to be paid to students, it's unfair.

 

I would simply love to hear an explanation of why Kentucky DOE would standardize such things as cirriculum, certifications, textbooks, etc.., but then have no mandate that all Kentucky schools use the same grading scale. A grading scale, mind you, that is critical in determining the potential to compete for scholarship money.

 

 

Coop - unless I'm misreading the email, the lady addressed your exact issue. Ryle may call it a 3.5 or 3.6 but when the transcripts come to KEES, it will be on the traditional scale,ie, a 4.0 for each A.

[cooperstown]

Coop - unless I'm misreading the email, the lady addressed your exact issue. Ryle may call it a 3.5 or 3.6 but when the transcripts come to KEES, it will be on the traditional scale,ie, a 4.0 for each A.

 

Yep, you're right. I didn't read your first post accurately. I actually just got off the phone with someone from the KEES program (Rebecca Gilpatrick) and she explained it to me. Funny - she said she had gotten an email earlier from someone regarding this exact same issue, so I'm guessing it was you?! :lol:

 

Bottomline is that, at least for KEES money, schools should indeed be calling every "A" a 4.0, whether it be a high A or low A. But she did say that schools frequently make mistakes and each person should be checking on their own grades to make sure their school is reporting accurately.

 

For the life of me though, I still can't figure out why the state would not mandate what numerical values comprise an "A", "B", "C", and "D" so that all schools are working on the same page. Even she acknowledged that that issue can cause some problems - ie., if county X determines that 90-100 is an "A", but county Y uses 94-100 as a "A", it disadvantages those kids in county Y who received grades between 90-93.

[Clyde]

Yep, you're right. I didn't read your first post accurately. I actually just got off the phone with someone from the KEES program (Rebecca Gilpatrick) and she explained it to me. Funny - she said she had gotten an email earlier from someone regarding this exact same issue, so I'm guessing it was you?! :lol:

 

.

 

Maybe.

[Mr.Network]

It matters with the NCAA Clearinghouse in regards to Division I or Division II eligibility. A student athlete's GPA is measured against the sum of the 4 parts of the ACT to determine whether that student is eligible for college athletics.

 

My son is in a school that has a 94-100 for an A. At the public school across the street (methaphorically....actually about a mile away), the scale is 90-100for an A. That's a big difference.

[Covercorner]

It matters with the NCAA Clearinghouse in regards to Division I or Division II eligibility. A student athlete's GPA is measured against the sum of the 4 parts of the ACT to determine whether that student is eligible for college athletics.

 

My son is in a school that has a 94-100 for an A. At the public school across the street (methaphorically....actually about a mile away), the scale is 90-100for an A. That's a big difference.

This could be a huge issue for some average students who would be potential NCAA athletes if they were in a school with a higher grading scale. Add in if that same school had a more stringent curriculum to boot.

[miragesmack]

Colleges deal with this every day and every year. I remember a few years ago reading about Highlands kids graduating with a GPA over 5.0 due to AP classes. The article said then and I assume its true now that admissions offices equal out grades.

 

Our schools uses both. The one mentioned above is the QPA, qualified GPA, which takes into consideration course difficulty, just like swimming in the Olympics! I believe we only use it "in house" for class ranking and such. Colleges use the normal 4.0 scale, which we also break down by a hi, med and low A, B etc. I agree with this policy. A kid avgering 90 (or 93 at some schools) shouldn't be a 4.0 like a kid who avgs 98.