澳门跑狗论坛

Federal

Texas Move to Tighten GPA Formula Sparks Backlash

By Catherine Gewertz 鈥 September 29, 2008 5 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Texas is working on a formula that all high schools would have to use to calculate students鈥 grade point averages. But it is encountering strong resistance from educators who fear it could discourage teenagers from taking challenging courses.

The , which oversees public colleges and universities, is expected to vote on the proposed rule at its Oct. 23 meeting. But the public-comment period leading up to the decision has been rife with opposition.

Raymund A. Paredes, the state鈥檚 commissioner of higher education, is leading the development of the new rule. He is responding to a law passed in June 2007 by the state legislature, which directed the board to develop a single formula for calculating high school GPAs 鈥渢o ensure a uniform standard for admissions鈥 by public colleges and universities.

His response is also designed to promote rigor in high school coursework. But critics question whether it will.

The proposal would require schools to compute GPAs by including only courses in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign languages. Grade point averages would have to be calculated on a four-point scale, with an extra point given only for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and dual-enrollment courses, which can permit college credit.

If adopted, the new rule would affect students who will be freshmen in the fall of 2009.

Experts who track high school policy said Texas could be breaking new ground in GPA calculation. Jennifer Dounay, the analyst who oversees the High School Policy Center at the Denver-based Education Commission of the States, said some states require that extra weight be given to honors, AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses, but none go beyond that.

If adopted, Texas鈥 rule would force a significant change in many districts, which give added weight to honors, 鈥減re-AP鈥 and 鈥減re-IB鈥 courses. In those schools, a student who earns an A in honors English, for instance, gets five points factored into the GPA. Under the new method, that A would be worth only four points.

The proposal would also mean that a vast array of courses鈥攆rom theater to career and technical education鈥攚ould not count in a student鈥檚 GPA.

Admission Yardstick

The grades Texas students earn in music and other elective courses would not count in their grade point averages under a proposal to create a statewide formula for calculating GPAs. These students at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, are shown in a 2006 rehearsal.

A lot rides on the change in Texas, where a 1997 law guaranteed admission to state universities for students who rank in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. Rank is dictated by students鈥 GPAs.

Mr. Paredes argues that honors, pre-AP and pre-IB courses should not get extra weight because their content and rigor vary from district to district and even from school to school.

The extra point in AP, IB, and dual-credit courses offers an incentive for students to try college-level work, he said. Allowing students to boost their GPAs with courses of questionable rigor undermines the larger goal of ensuring they are prepared for college and work, he said.

鈥淚 get concerned when families or school districts are more interested in pumping up grade point averages without making sure students receive the appropriate level of rigor,鈥 he said in an interview last week.

Michael K. Orr, the associate director of college and school relations for the 48,000-student University of Texas at Austin, said the GPA has limited value in admission because it can only show how a student compares with others at a particular school. Using a uniform method could create 鈥渁 common standard of measurement of success in high school鈥 that could show how a student stacks up to those in other schools, he said.

Some educators worry, however, that removing extra grade weight for honors, pre-AP, and pre-IB courses will encourage students to avoid challenging themselves.

鈥淭hese are 14- and 15-year-old kids. They take the easy track if it鈥檚 given to them,鈥 said Cathy Bryce, the superintendent of the 6,300-student Highland Park Independent school district on Dallas鈥 northern edge. 鈥淗ow can I say, 鈥楪o ahead and take this, I know it鈥檚 harder, so you will probably get a worse grade, and you won鈥檛 have the advantage of added weight for your GPA, either.鈥 鈥

Ms. Bryce worries that the policy undermines an important goal.

鈥淭he kids who take the easier track as freshmen and sophomores can get by easier and collect good grades. So we won鈥檛 have as many completing the rigorous tracks that make them better prepared for college,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hen we鈥檙e creating classes of kids that won鈥檛 be as likely to do well in college or complete it. It鈥檚 cutting off your nose to spite your face.鈥

Local-Control Issue

Jacqueline Lain, the chief lobbyist for the Texas Association of School Boards, said many districts see the uniform GPA as an interference.

鈥淪chool districts would prefer to have local control so they can incentivize kids to take courses their community feels are important for the students鈥 development,鈥 she said.

One of the most widespread concerns about the proposed GPA rule is the elimination of career and technical education courses from the calculation.

Patty Quinzi, the legislative counsel for the Texas AFT, a 57,000-member state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, said the policy creates the 鈥減erverse incentive鈥 of discouraging students from taking challenging courses that not only build academic skills, but prepare them for successful careers.

She cited a course at one high school that is team-taught by auto-shop and math teachers, in which students were applying calculus principles to auto mechanics, and an internship that allows students to build components for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

鈥淯ltimately, we are concerned with kids being career-ready, not just college-ready,鈥 Ms. Quinzi said. 鈥淚f the Higher Education Coordinating Board is not going to respect courses like this as core courses with strong substance, kids are never going to want to take them.鈥

She said the AFT is also concerned that excluding courses such as music from GPA calculations will make disengaged students even less inclined to show up. 鈥淪ometimes, courses like music are the only reason those kids come to school,鈥 she said.

Mr. Paredes said he is still 鈥渢weaking鈥 the list of courses he will recommend for inclusion in the GPA calculation. He said he will consider a wide range of courses, from Advanced Placement art to high-technology, and recommend for inclusion those that prepare students for university study.

A version of this article appeared in the October 01, 2008 edition of 澳门跑狗论坛 as Texas Move to Tighten GPA Formula Sparks Backlash

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum Big AI Questions for Schools. How They Should Respond鈥
Join this free virtual event to unpack some of the big questions around the use of AI in K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 澳门跑狗论坛's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 澳门跑狗论坛's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM鈥檚 Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal Then & Now Will RFK Jr. Reheat the School Lunch Wars?
Trump's ally has said he wants to remove processed foods from school meals. That's not as easy as it sounds.
6 min read
Image of school lunch - Then and now
Liz Yap/澳门跑狗论坛 with iStock/Getty and Canva
Federal 3 Ways Trump Can Weaken the Education Department Without Eliminating It
Trump's team can seek to whittle down the department's workforce, scrap guidance documents, and close offices.
4 min read
Then-Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump smiles at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
President-elect Donald Trump smiles at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump pledged during the campaign to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. A more plausible path could involve weakening the agency.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal How Trump Can Hobble the Education Department Without Abolishing It
There is plenty the incoming administration can do to kneecap the main federal agency responsible for K-12 schools.
9 min read
Former President Donald Trump speaks as he arrives in New York on April 15, 2024.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he arrives in New York on April 15, 2024. Trump pledged on the campaign trail to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education in his second term.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via AP
Federal Opinion Closing the Education Department Is a Solution in Search of a Problem
There鈥檚 a bill in Congress seeking to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. What do its supporters really want?
Jonas Zuckerman
4 min read
USA government confusion and United States politics problem and American federal legislation trouble as a national political symbol with 3D illustration elements.
iStock/Getty Images