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4.0 GPA scale vs. 5.0 GPA scale

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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
For a project in one of my classes, the group I'm in is trying to change the 4.0 GPA scale we have at my high school to a 5.0 scale, where Honors and AP classes would be weighted. We have to present this to the principal and the school board, and therefore need a good argument that refutes any reasons for having a 4.0 scale.

So, what are some reasons we should have a 4.0 scale, or why do you think we should? Also, any input on why a 5.0 system would work would be great too.
Feb 8 2010 7:02PM
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Gooseling
Posts: 1028 - Karma: 10
at my school we just do a percent average
Feb 8 2010 7:03PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
So if you got an A in a class that wasn't honors or AP it would count as a 4 but if it was honors or AP it would be a 5? Not sure what I think about that...
Feb 8 2010 7:04PM
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Style+eeze
Posts: 6901 - Karma: 551
what's the point of a 5.0 scale?

as soon as they get your transcripts, colleges will change your grades to whatever scale they use.

a 5.0 scale is useful only for boasting about grades. i would be able to (fortunately) because i take high performance classes, but even from someone who would "benefit" from it, it makes no sense.

a 4.0 should be a great gpa, not a mediocre one
Feb 8 2010 7:05PM
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dwhite
Posts: 1499 - Karma: 32
If it is weighted that means that the lazy fucks that are in lower levels, but get As, won't be in front of someone who works hard and challenges themselves...
Feb 8 2010 7:05PM
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blackoutbill
Posts: 2918 - Karma: 282
At my school, A for honors is 4.5 while A in ap is 5.0. Honors is total bs though, but APs are college level and should be graded on a college level scale
Feb 8 2010 7:08PM
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,012
why change something that already works?
Feb 8 2010 7:08PM
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jack.t
Posts: 111 - Karma: 15
we have a 4.0 system and honors/AP classes are weighted 10%. so pretty much A+ = 4.3, but A+ in honors or AP = 4.7, A = 4.0, weighted A = 4.4, and so on. and then you average those scores for overall GPA.
Feb 8 2010 7:09PM
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TheButterHashira
Posts: 9691 - Karma: 1,702
My school system is fucking dumb and has a 6 point scale. IB and AP get 2 quality points. But its fucking bullshit because I get 2 extra points for ap chem which is all day ever year while an IB freshman can take gym and art that period and get 2 quality points for each of those classes. They did that shit so more kids would do ib.
Feb 8 2010 7:11PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
OK in high school I took a wide variety of classes outside the norm including music, shop, and art classes. AP and honors classes aren't offered in many of these departments. My senior year I did take AP art and AP gov. I also had a full class load my senior year. I knew lots of people who only took AP and honors classes there senior year, took the minimum amount of classes and never got to experience stuff like shop, art, music, etc.... So your saying I'm lazy and my GPA should be lowered?
Feb 8 2010 7:11PM
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skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
all im seeing is 5.0 GPA is a way for kids who take unnecessarily hard classes in fucking high school as a way to brag before they find out that it has little to do with what college you get into. fuck it. i say go for whatever makes you feel the best before reality cock-slaps you.
Feb 8 2010 7:12PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
This is the scale we are proposing.
For regular level classes: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0.
Honors: A=4.5, B=3.5, C=2.5, D=1.5, F=0.
AP: A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, F=0.

The idea isn't for colleges, because as someone pointed out they will change your grades to whatever system they use. It's for things like class rank and valedictorian, which are unfairly judged. Also, it encourages kids to take honors or AP classes instead of taking easier ones.
Feb 8 2010 7:12PM
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Waffle11
Posts: 481 - Karma: 16
Personally, it helps me learn better when its harder to get an A. If I went to an easy school I could slack off and get a 5.0 or whatever, but I don't think I would learn as much.

In my opinion, no one is perfect, so no one should have a perfect grades.

Plus if anyone tells me they have a GPA over 4.0 I automatically assume they go to an easy school.
Feb 8 2010 7:13PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
I took an honors math class, AP art, and AP gov my senior year. The honors math class was by far the hardest and should earn the most quality points. Don't even get me started about college level scale. My high school freshmen english class was harder than my college level english.
Feb 8 2010 7:13PM
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selkirks
Posts: 1978 - Karma: 59
Can I just express how much I want this at my school?

In the past, our valedictorians have been people who have taken no Honors or AP classes and gotten a 4.0--because we don't have weighted GPAs. Meanwhile, the people in Honors and AP classes (like me) are busting their asses off and getting no recognition. It just adds some incentive to take an Honors or AP class rather than take the easy way out by taking regular classes.
Feb 8 2010 7:14PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
This is a good point, but at my school at least, classes other than those with the title Honors are given honors credit. Upper level of pretty much anything is considered Honors at my school, such as Art IV or upper level language classes. These classes would fall under the Honors category of our system.
Feb 8 2010 7:15PM
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LMP
Posts: 83 - Karma: 16
we have a 5.0 scale at our school and its way better, it benefits those who take more rigorous courses, rather than those who take easy classes for an easy A and automatic 4.0 however, it may run into a problem when people start getting well above a 4.0 gpa
Feb 8 2010 7:16PM
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Mr.Feeny
Posts: 990 - Karma: 11
at my school, you can only have over a 4.0 if you take honors, AP or IB classes, so i dont know how your trying to set this up, but i would say something like, by taking more challenging classes, you can have a higher GPA which looks better on college apps, it makes you work harder towards a higher goal etc... anything like that maybe?
Feb 8 2010 7:17PM
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aquinn
Posts: 824 - Karma: 217
i had a 5 point scale in high school, and it is pretty much useless except for making people think you are outrageously smart. In theory it makes sense but the actual difficulty difference between normal and honors courses doesnt constitute the extra points.
Feb 8 2010 7:17PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
But if you take a wide mix of classes from different departments you will never get into upper level classes.
Feb 8 2010 7:18PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
Why?
Feb 8 2010 7:20PM
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Waffle11
Posts: 481 - Karma: 16
My school has the best setup I think. Instead of a 5 point scale, all the classes are honors/ap level difficulty. The slackers either have to start working hard or switch schools.
Feb 8 2010 7:20PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
That's completely dependent on the teacher. Some normal classes are ridiculously easy and some honors are ridiculously hard, while some honors and normal classes are about the same. I do think that no system would be perfect
Feb 8 2010 7:22PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
What? Classes wouldn't get easier under the 5.0 system, if thats what you're saying. If no one should have perfect grades, why do so many people have 4.0s which are considered perfect by many? Under the 5.0 system, you would have to take all AP classes and get all As in them to get a 5.0, which would be very rare to see.
Feb 8 2010 7:24PM
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selkirks
Posts: 1978 - Karma: 59
That completely depends on your school though.
Feb 8 2010 7:25PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
That's true, and it could be considered a flaw in the system. But were the lower level classes, even though you took a wide range of them, as demanding as upper level classes/honors/AP classes?
Feb 8 2010 7:28PM
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matthew.
Posts: 879 - Karma: 12
Keep it at a basic 4. There are so many damn things at my hs. Regular classes-4 Pre-advanced placement-5 Advanced placement-6.25 So confusing when you have all of those classes. A basic scale would be good for me.
Feb 8 2010 7:28PM
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Waffle11
Posts: 481 - Karma: 16
Basically what I'm saying, is a 3.2 sounds way worse than a 4.2. If your taking all AP classes, you wont work as hard because you will be like "whatever, I guess I got a 4.5 this semester, still good grades" but if you had a 3.5 your would have tried harder
Feb 8 2010 7:31PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
Why?

That's why I made this thread, I need to know why people would want the 4.0 system.
Feb 8 2010 7:33PM
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WSMFP
Posts: 824 - Karma: 122
haha i like this
Feb 8 2010 7:34PM
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gstaff
Posts: 1017 - Karma: 12
leave it on a 4 point scale.  Most colleges look at a 5 point scale and shave it right back down to a 4 point scale, so it doesnt really matter.
Feb 8 2010 7:34PM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
percentage makes the most sense to me
Feb 8 2010 7:35PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
Ah, that makes sense, thanks man. But, this idea is assuming that getting a 4.5 in an honors/AP class would be much harder than getting a 3.5 in a regular class, so giving the student an extra point would be deserved because they put in more work.
Feb 8 2010 7:35PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
I'm not looking for you to tell me not to do a project. I'm looking at reasons for why a 4.0 scale would be favorable, and as I already said, we aren't doing it so colleges think kids have a higher GPA.
Feb 8 2010 7:37PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
Any more input?
Feb 8 2010 8:26PM
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skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
give up.
Feb 8 2010 8:29PM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
Not until you give me a legitimate reason too.
Feb 8 2010 8:31PM
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,012
wrong, strength of schedule has a large impact on if you get accepted or not. i would know, i just applied to college
Feb 8 2010 8:41PM
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Style+eeze
Posts: 6901 - Karma: 551
no, colleges take that into account

so far, they will see 4 aps on my transcript (i am a junior) and i have a 3.9. fortunately, i got an A in all of those aps, and they will take that into consideration

the hardest class i've taken in high school has been a regular science (you can't take honors/ap until junior/senior year, i know it sucks).

we had so much work, yet i still got an A in my ap classes

so, colleges take EVERYTHING into account and eventually put it into their own grading system
Feb 8 2010 8:45PM
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Waffle11
Posts: 481 - Karma: 16
lol, colleges try, but its impossible for them to get a picture of who you are based on the limited info that they have and the minimal time they spend looking over your info
Feb 8 2010 8:54PM
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Style+eeze
Posts: 6901 - Karma: 551
i completely agree... but at least your grades are put into the fashion that they like
Feb 8 2010 10:57PM
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skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
wrong, i graduated HS way before you and i know classmates who would have taken the hardest classes, gotten 3.9s-4.0s and still never had a chance to get into the top colleges. reason why? theres more to it than your gps. such as family, legacies and the high schools you actually attended. class rank means shit if you attend a public HS for example. thats real life bitch, get used to it.

its still funny though to see many wasting away their lives with shit they think is important but in the big picture means very little.
Feb 8 2010 11:09PM
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Ian.Ham
Posts: 1678 - Karma: 1,101
5.0 weighted is way better because like at my school I have a 3.7 and the only B's I have got have been in honors/AP classes.  So I am like 50th class ranked because there are a bunch of kids that took regular classes and aced them cuz they're easy as fuck.  And I got a 13000 dollar scholarship for my act/gpa combined, and If I would have had a little better gpa I could have got 1000 more dollars per year.  I would have had at least a 3.9 if my grades were weighted.
Feb 8 2010 11:18PM
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blackoutbill
Posts: 2918 - Karma: 282
Must be the difference in schools. Honors gov draws pictures of the U.S. whereas my ap gov class writes research papers every two weeks. To pass my honors english class with less than a B, you'd have to not have a pulse.
Feb 8 2010 11:23PM
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blackoutbill
Posts: 2918 - Karma: 282
Not to mention that my ap chem class is hard as balls. I spend 2 hours of work on that class per hour of class in school. I'm glad I get 5.0 in that class, I feel like I deserve it
Feb 8 2010 11:27PM
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lahnabonny
Posts: 1260 - Karma: 35
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Feb 8 2010 11:27PM
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Mac.
Posts: 953 - Karma: 24
I like the idea of a 5.0 scale, as higher level classes really do make a difference and kids should be rewarded for them

My school doesn't have a weighted GPA (just on a 4.0 scale) but it does have a quality point thing which factors in the level of the class (on a 36 point scale) and the class rank is weighted.
Feb 8 2010 11:48PM
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smooticus
Posts: 1798 - Karma: 27
Yea that would make sense, finally give the kids that challenge themselves some credit, and incentive to take hard classes. Im a senior now and i have taken all but one AP class that my school offers, with a solid 3.6. Now i have a friend thats about as smart as me, I did 50 points better on the SAT, but he has a 4.0, why you ask, cause he took all of the regular classes and only one AP. Im looking at 80grand in loans for the next 4 years. He got a full ride. Fair, no
Feb 8 2010 11:58PM
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skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
ok so this is what i don't get, kids like you.

mother fuckers think that in high school they think they're smart enough to decide that harder the classes, the more they will be rewarded. in reality they wont be.

now take your friend who you state is as smart as you. he is taking "lower" classes which means more free time to have a fun life and still have a higher GPA. so lemme ask you this... whos the "smarter" one? the one who was suckered into taking harder classes that hold little weight but took 3 times as much effort, or the one that realized HS doesn't mean shit and spent his time having fun and getting a better GPA than you thus saving more money than you? you might be wrong on the assumption that you are smarter than him because you decided to take useless harder classes.
Feb 9 2010 12:10AM
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tommycat
Posts: 483 - Karma: 23
Some people actually like a challenge... crazy, right?
Feb 9 2010 12:16AM
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skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
no its true in that some people would rather have an academic challenge rather than a just as important a social life. whatever floats your boats. i dont care.
Feb 9 2010 12:21AM
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