Eradicating Weighted Grades: A Potential Solution that Creates Additional Problems
Photo from Hamilton School District.
Emma Vlaski
Hamilton School District Administrators have been considering the abolishment of the 5.0 scale in response to the complaints brought up by a student on the unfair weighting of AP classes compared to non-AP college classes (The Weight of a Flawed System). Several meetings on this issue have taken place, and this change will likely be implemented in the 2024-2025 school year, pending school board approval. I believe this switch is beneficial as it removes the pressure to take classes that only serve as GPA-boosters rather than classes that are actually beneficial to a student’s future. This is further proven through a survey taken by AP students (175 responses) in which 50% of respondents stated that they might or would have learned more in a non-AP version of the same class, and 52% of respondents stating that their AP class is only somewhat or not applicable to their future outside of high school.
Despite the potential benefits of this shift, many issues must be rectified before this change is implemented.
An Overview of AP Classes
In 1952, 11 AP classes–short for Advanced Placement classes–were created for students to get a head start before college by offering intro-level courses. 70 years later, this has expanded to 38 APs being offered to schools nationwide by the College Board. Of those 38, Hamilton students can choose from 23 AP classes, leading one to believe that Hamilton students have more opportunities than ever to get ahead. But, is this true?
It goes without a doubt that AP classes can be very beneficial to students. Personally, AP Language and Composition has prepared me well for college-level English and taught me how to do well under a strict time limit. Many other students feel the same and have stated they, “Highly recommend it to anyone going to a 4-year college.” Students in other classes have also commented that, “Taking AP classes has allowed me to learn how to handle a challenge, and how to manage my own time better than any other high school class could have.” These testimonies on AP classes are a good sign that they can fulfill their intended purpose of giving students a “leg up” before college while deepening subject knowledge and allowing for competitiveness in college admissions. However, Hamilton’s current and future policies are jeopardizing students.
The Grading Scale and GPA
It is likely nothing new to Hamilton students that we have a rigorous grading system that seeks to punish rather than reward. Numerous articles have been posted on Charger Press regarding these issues (The Grading Scale Dilemma). Not only this, but it’s common to hear students talking about friends from other schools that have it easier, especially during finals. The standard grading system allows for an A to be as low as a 93, which, at Hamilton, would be just shy of a B+. This difficulty seems to take root in administrators' pride in being a highly regarded district; they believe that they are helping prepare students for a meaningful future by pushing them to strive for perfection while expecting them to balance a social life, extracurriculars, and mental well-being.
How can such an awarded district not face the reality of a student body riddled with anxiety over scores that are impossible to reach without sacrifice?
When comparing two surveys (one for AP students and the other for students in a regular class with an AP counterpart), students who take AP classes report higher levels of stress over classes, likely due to many AP students who are perfectionists that struggle with not getting that perfect score. Not only this, AP students are much more likely to feel like they aren’t doing enough. There’s an unspoken pressure to take on as much as you can, stemming from peers, friends, parents, counselors, siblings, and yourself. In fact, of the surveyed students, 71.4% of those currently in an AP class responded that they felt pressured to take AP classes. With the abolishment of the 5.0 scale under the current GPA cut scores, Hamilton is only aggravating a wildfire. Students cannot be expected to handle everything in a class with perfection, especially in AP classes. There will be a time when a concept does not make sense, and not allowing for any leniency is not helping students succeed. They are removing the cushion that AP students fall back on when they don’t get a perfect score. Students have stated, “[AP classes] are very beneficial if you are learning something that might be beneficial later on in your life but sometimes it really is just for the GPA boost.” This comment is exemplified by the 46.3% out of 175 respondents answering that they would not have taken the AP class if it was not weighted on a 5.0 scale.
With weighted grades removed, students may perceive there is more risk than reward for taking on a challenge and will begin to stray away from AP classes, losing chances to learn valuable content and grow from the experience.
While I do agree that switching to a 4.0 scale is beneficial because it allows students to feel less guilt for not taking a GPA-boosting class, there is the issue of the cushion for minimal mental well-being in school being taken away. If Hamilton is already planning on a drastic change, what is stopping them from norming their grading system to one that most schools use? All classes should match the grading scale that all other Wisconsin schools use; especially since students will apply to colleges outside of Wisconsin that are unaware of the harsh grading scale and may view Hamilton students as inferior, potentially jeopardizing a student that is trying to benefit their future. Norming the grading scale allows students to feel less stress surrounding a lower score and feel more inclined to take on AP courses because the risk is minimized.
While administrators may feel the need to defend their “prestige,” Hamilton is, in the end, just a public school that happens to be situated in a more affluent area. Implementing a fair grading scale is not just a recommendation; it is a necessity to accurately reflect the intelligence of Hamilton students compared to other high schoolers and keep the mental well-being of students afloat.
Extra Credit
One may be thinking, what does extra credit have to do with an article about switching to a 4.0 scale? In short, there’s a lot.
At the teacher inservice meeting in August before the 2022-2023 school year, administrators dropped a bombshell just before the end of the meeting: “No more extra credit.” As administrators gathered their things to leave, teachers were, understandably, shocked. Teachers stated that they had already printed out their syllabuses and rubrics; how could they be expected to change the way they had always done things just a few days before the school year began? Yet, administrators had made up their minds without ever thinking about how it may affect those they are supposed to be helping. They cited that it was due to teachers handing out extra credit like free candy and other equity concerns, a notion that is far from the truth (The Extra Scoop on Extra Credit).
Bringing back extra credit, with clear limitations for academic work only, would be an appropriate response to switching the GPA scale since it provides a cushion that would be lacking without the 5.0 scale. This would help all Hamilton students who are already bombarded with stress from school, jobs, familial obligations; it would also support students who do not always perfectly understand class content and provide an opportunity to show their knowledge in a different way.
A Look Ahead
If Hamilton is willing to make the drastic shift to a 4.0 grading system and institute policies like getting rid of extra credit, why can’t they make well-planned changes that benefit students? Why are there no student committees or polls to discuss the implications of these changes on the students they will directly impact? Why do they continue to cite being a high-achieving district for having one of the most difficult grading scales? Why do administrators continue to fall painstakingly short of their commitment to bettering the lives of students and teachers? Administrators need to stop denying reality and realize they are playing with people’s futures. The immense stress that students live with each day thanks to Hamilton’s policies cannot be healed even by Character Strong; real change needs to be instituted that benefits students and supports their mental health.
