GILROY
– If Gilroy High School returns to its former policy of adding
value to the grades received by students taking rigorous courses,
school board trustees will have to order the school to do it.
GILROY – If Gilroy High School returns to its former policy of adding value to the grades received by students taking rigorous courses, school board trustees will have to order the school to do it.
After a 6-4 vote Tuesday, a GHS leadership committee will recommend – at the May 15 school board session – grading policy changes that do not include weighting the grades of Advanced Placement students.
The split vote seems sure to kick off a new round of controversy in Gilroy Unified School District, pitting parent against parent and potentially sending families that desire an emphasis on academic rigor exploring other schooling options. Last year, a debate over reinstating honors courses triggered the exodus of many families from Gilroy public schools who felt administrators were not providing adequate opportunities for high-achieveing students.
At a forum Monday, nearly all of the dozen or so parents in attendance adamantly pushed for a weighted grade system. But on Tuesday, the only two parent representatives on the 10-member leadership committee – Diane Baty and Susie Law – both voted against weighting grades.
“This doesn’t mean we’re not encouraging students to take AP courses,” Baty, the parent rep, said. “We want students to be taking AP courses to get college course credit, that should be their reason.”
“Here we go again,” said Jackie Stevens, a GHS parent and weighted grade supporter. “There’s a real disconnect between the community, the parents and the students and a certain philosophy espoused at the school.”
Beginning this year, GHS implemented a non-weighted grading system adopted without board approval by former principal Wendy Gudalewicz. The controversial policy changed the GPAs, and in some cases the class ranks, of this year’s seniors. Ever since, parents of many AP students have been pressing school administrators to reinstate grade weighting.
Under a weighted grade system, students who receive, for instance, an A in a regular course would receive 4.0 grade points; students who earn a B in an AP course would also receive 4.0 points.
AP courses are the most rigorous at the high school level. They are considered “college preparatory” and some universities will grant course credit to students who pass a yearend standardized exam.
The grade weighting matter came to a head this week as the leadership committee finalized its list of recommended grading policy changes, due for board approval next week.
Opponents of grade weighting claim that students in the past have asked the school to remove elective courses from their transcript in order to pad their GPA. They also claim that weighting grades encourages students not to take electives such as band, choir or yearbook.
“We want well-rounded students. The (University of California) system wants well-rounded students, and I’m not sure the public realizes that,” said Baty, whose GHS child is currently not enrolled in an AP course.
At Monday’s meeting, GHS counselor Erin Gemar told parents that grade weighting is almost irrelevant nowadays in college admission and scholarship competition processes. Gemar said most universities recalculate GPAs, since high schools nationwide are on sometimes very different grade point systems.
Gemar said college admissions offices will note the rigor of a student’s courses when reviewing their transcripts. She also argued that students who put an equal amount of effort into earning As in regular classes should earn a grade equal to a student who put similar effort into an AP course.
For parents like Stevens, whose child has taken several AP courses, these arguments are infuriating.
“We are shocked and disturbed. Equal effort, equal results is not the real world,” Stevens said.
Proponents of grade weighting claim students would be foolish to take AP courses to pad their GPAs since the courses are so demanding. They claim most students are taking AP courses for the reason the courses were designed – to better prepare for university.
At Monday’s forum, they told Principal Bob Bravo – who voted Tuesday in favor of grade weighting – that students willing to risk getting a lower grade should be given incentive and recognition in the form of a higher-value grade.
“I voted for weighting, but the committee’s charter was to vote on recommendations for grading policy changes. The committee made its decision,” Bravo said. “(Parents who support weighting) were definitely heard. The committee deliberated on this for hours every time it met. Ultimately the board will have to decide.”
Trustee Tom Bundros, a high-profile advocate for more academic rigor, called grade weighting an “appropriate” academic practice Tuesday night when informed about the leadership committee’s vote.
“I see both sides of the argument, but I support reinstating weighted grades,” Bundros said.
Bundros said he would try to push a grade weighting policy through the board or support such an effort if another trustee raised the issue May 15.
