The 5.0 Grading Scale Change
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Sage Osesek
The 5.0 grading scale is a widely used scale for AP students. It serves to benefit these students by manipulating the standard grading scale. Instead of AP students earning a 4.0 for an A, the 5.0 scale gives them a 5.0. The system is as follows: A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, F=0. Hamilton has historically followed this grading scale, seeking to help AP students with their rigorous classes. Because AP classes are generally introduction-level college courses, they are deemed harder than regular courses, which introduced the idea of the 5.0 grading system.
Hamilton is eradicating this system. AP grades will now be weighted the same as regular class grades. At first glance, AP students may seem disadvantaged. However, despite some possible issues, this system change has the potential to improve the current grading system.
What is the issue with the 5.0 grading system?
Students are skillful at abusing the 5.0 grading system. They can overload their schedule with “easy” AP classes that have high curves which guarantee most students a good grade. Any Hamilton AP student knows the easy APs from the hard APs. As a result, these students finish their senior year top of the class, seemingly as better students than their lower-ranked counterparts. This impression is not always valid, as many students who take difficult college courses (see The Weight of a Flawed System) rank lower than someone who takes AP classes that require significantly less work to succeed. By eradicating this grading system, Hamilton can prevent this class rank manipulation.
Every year, students take AP classes because of the beneficial 5.0 grading scale, not because the class piqued their interest. For many classes, I’ve fallen into this trap and only took an AP class because of its favorable qualities, regardless of my interests. If the 5.0 scale was eradicated, students would be less inclined to take an AP course because of its attractive grade boost. With the new system, AP classes wouldn’t be the only “rigorous” courses. Other non-AP courses, such as Graphics III or Principles of Engineering, are considered rigorous, thus allowing students to expand the scope of available courses that they are intrigued by. While it is important to take AP courses for college credits, there aren’t enough AP classes for the wide variety of interests that students hold. Therefore, students should take non-AP classes to satisfy their curiosity and experiment with their interests.
Nonetheless, it’s important to recognize that in the end, students choose their classes. So, if students don’t take interesting classes because they want a higher grade point average, it’s not always logical to blame the system. The 5.0 grading scale helps frame AP classes as more attractive classes, but students are capable of making schedule decisions that are right for them, not just their GPA. Because of this, the argument that the 5.0 grading scale limits options can be made invalid, depending on whether we focus on the system’s faults or the student’s faults.
5.0 Grading Scale Eradication
By getting rid of the 5.0 grading system, the equity of the system increases while still benefiting students who take rigorous courses. However, the question remains: How will these students benefit if the 5.0 system is eliminated? Starting with the Class of 2028, Hamilton will use the Laude System to recognize graduating seniors. Instead of AP classes being the only factor to determine achievement, the Laude System uses a student’s grade point average (4.0 scale) and considers the number of advanced courses students take. The mentioned advanced courses include AP, Honors, Transcripted Credits, Department Specific Upper-Level Courses, and Dual Enrollment courses. The cords with the various Laude recognition levels are shown below.
1) Cum Laude recognition (white honors cord)
3.0-3.49 cumulative GPA
At least 4 advanced course credits taken
2) Magna Cum Laude (silver honors cord)
3.5-3.749 cumulative GPA
At least 6 advanced course credits taken
3) Summa Cum Laude (gold honors cord)
3.75-4.00
At least 8 advanced course credits taken
Below is a comprehensive list of advanced courses for the Laude Recognition Program:
Dual Enrollment Courses
AP Courses
Honors Courses
Early College Credit Program (ECCP) Courses
Start College Now (SCN) Courses
Transcripted coursework from an accredited post secondary institution
French IV
French V
German IV
German V
Spanish IV
Spanish V
Early Childhood 2: Careers/Assistant Childcare
Early Childhood 3: CO-OP
Principles of Engineering
Digital Electronics
Graphic Communications
Graphics III
Wood Design & Manufacturing III
Wind Symphony
Jazz Ensemble 1
A Capella
Synergy Show Choir
Advanced Accounting
Pre-Calculus I/Pre-Calculus 2
With this system, AP students are not automatically the top students. While they still have the potential to finish highly, they will be competing with their non-AP counterparts.
How will this affect the college admission process and scholarships?
Most students will take AP classes because it will earn them a high class rank and GPA and improve their chances of being accepted into a good college. However, how closely do colleges examine these factors? At a University/College Admissions panel in February 2023, many colleges like MSOE, Marquette, and UWM said they look at unweighted GPAs. Furthermore, colleges like UW-Madison and Marquette said class rigor is the most important factor for the admission process, and Marquette said class rigor determines scholarship recipients. UW-Madison noted that it won’t disadvantage a student if the GPA is unweighted. So, in many cases, college admissions officers focus on the rigor of your courses, not your GPA. GPA is becoming less of a deciding factor, which further suggests that the 5.0 grading isn’t the AP benefit that many people claim it is.
As for scholarships, various sources like College Aid Pro and Bold.org agree that colleges look at unweighted GPAs and class rigor. Because not all schools have a 5.0 grading system, it would be unfair to deem students with a 4.0+ higher than a student who doesn’t have the opportunity to get higher than a 4.0. As a result, many scholarships will consider unweighted GPAs rather than weighted GPAs.
Possible concerns
While this new system seems promising, there are a few concerns that one can’t ignore when considering its flaws. Advanced course students will want the clear “Summa Cum Laude” distinction with their advanced courses for scholarship and college admissions, so they can just as easily abuse this system as they have been doing with the AP system. Students will adapt and find the easiest advanced courses to earn this distinction, which gives them the same title as their peers who may take harder advanced courses. From the advanced course list, there are clear distinctions between the easy and hard classes that any student can recognize. While class rigor is considered for the college admission process, some scholarships do not analyze a student’s classes, which creates an inequitable system. This concern is similar to those of the current 5.0 grading system. Even so, I believe students can and will exploit any system a school proposes.
AP courses are highly beneficial (see Are AP Classes Worth the Work?). From college credits to better time management skills, everyone should take AP classes to benefit their academics. However, students often only see the immediate benefits of AP classes because that is what affects them at that time: the GPA boost. Although AP classes are still considered “advanced,” students will still regard AP classes as less beneficial because of their less apparent advantages. Students want immediate gratification for their efforts, not down-the-line benefits. As a result, fewer students will take AP courses. Because AP courses are inherently valuable, this could be an issue for students.
This change targets some current grading problems at Hamilton, but it also has the potential to create new issues. It will be interesting to hear students’ opinions once this system begins and how this might change Hamilton academically. Whether they are successful or not, popular or unpopular, trying new systems is essential for possible improvement. Until this development is properly instituted and analyzed, we can only subjectively speculate.
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