Are honors classes in APS and FCPS weighted an extra 0.5 in calculating GPA?

[Anonymous]

Just curious how the two systems compare. Also, if there is a 0.5 bump, is that for all honors classes, or just some. TIA.

[Anonymous]

APS program of studies for high school -- do a search on "quality point" to see what courses offer the 1.0 bump (not honors but AP/IB and dual enrollment)

http://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/HS-PROGRAM-OF-STUDIES-2017-18-FINAL.pdf

FCPS online course catalog for high school -- select "info" and "grade point average" to see information about the 1.0 bump for AP/IB/dual enrollment and0.5 bump for honors:

https://insys.fcps.edu/CourseCatOnline/#/intropages/411/nocourselist/0/0/0

Grade point average (GPA) is calculated on the basis of all courses for which high school credit has been earned or attempted, including repeated courses previously passed. All classes appearing on the high school transcript including high school classes taken in summer school, middle school, elementary school, or online are included when calculating GPA.

Advanced Placement (AP) courses, specified International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, and other courses approved through the annual course review process receive an additional 1.0 added to the final grade upon successful completion of the course. Successful completion is defined as completing the course with a passing grade and, where applicable, completing the externally moderated exam. For example, a final grade of “A” in an AP/IB course shall receive 5.0 quality points for purposes of calculating grade point average. The score on the externally moderated exam does not impact a student’s GPA.

Honors courses in mathematics, science, English, social studies, designated Thomas Jefferson High School courses, courses taken in high school for dual enrollment credit with a post-secondary institution, and other courses approved through the annual course review process receive an additional 0.5 weight added to the final grade upon successful completion of the course. Successful completion is defined as completing the course with a passing grade. For example, a final grade of “A” in an honors class shall receive 4.5 quality points.

Courses dropped will not be counted in grade point average (GPA) except when a final grade of “F” is received: (a) for the fourth grading period of a full-year course, or (b) for the second grading period of a semester course. A student's GPA is determined by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the number of courses included in the transcript. The grade point average is reported to three decimal places (thousandths). Fairfax County Public Schools does not rank its students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS program of studies for high school -- do a search on "quality point" to see what courses offer the 1.0 bump (not honors but AP/IB and dual enrollment)

http://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/HS-PROGRAM-OF-STUDIES-2017-18-FINAL.pdf

FCPS online course catalog for high school -- select "info" and "grade point average" to see information about the 1.0 bump for AP/IB/dual enrollment and0.5 bump for honors:

https://insys.fcps.edu/CourseCatOnline/#/intropages/411/nocourselist/0/0/0

Grade point average (GPA) is calculated on the basis of all courses for which high school credit has been earned or attempted, including repeated courses previously passed. All classes appearing on the high school transcript including high school classes taken in summer school, middle school, elementary school, or online are included when calculating GPA.

Advanced Placement (AP) courses, specified International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, and other courses approved through the annual course review process receive an additional 1.0 added to the final grade upon successful completion of the course. Successful completion is defined as completing the course with a passing grade and, where applicable, completing the externally moderated exam. For example, a final grade of “A” in an AP/IB course shall receive 5.0 quality points for purposes of calculating grade point average. The score on the externally moderated exam does not impact a student’s GPA.

Honors courses in mathematics, science, English, social studies, designated Thomas Jefferson High School courses, courses taken in high school for dual enrollment credit with a post-secondary institution, and other courses approved through the annual course review process receive an additional 0.5 weight added to the final grade upon successful completion of the course. Successful completion is defined as completing the course with a passing grade. For example, a final grade of “A” in an honors class shall receive 4.5 quality points.

Courses dropped will not be counted in grade point average (GPA) except when a final grade of “F” is received: (a) for the fourth grading period of a full-year course, or (b) for the second grading period of a semester course. A student's GPA is determined by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the number of courses included in the transcript. The grade point average is reported to three decimal places (thousandths). Fairfax County Public Schools does not rank its students.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Just remember. Colleges ask for weighted and unweighted GPA so more APs is not always better. Pick the class program that is right for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Just remember. Colleges ask for weighted and unweighted GPA so more APs is not always better. Pick the class program that is right for your kid.

Colleges may ask, but they only get the weighted GPA from FCPS. They can calculate it themselves of course, if they so choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Just remember. Colleges ask for weighted and unweighted GPA so more APs is not always better. Pick the class program that is right for your kid.

Colleges may ask, but they only get the weighted GPA from FCPS. They can calculate it themselves of course, if they so choose.

It seems like they should calculate it themselves. Based on the first response in the thread, FCPS's grades for honors classes are inflated relative to APS. A kid in APS who gets all As in honors classes would have a 4.0 weighted gpa and a kid in FCPS would have a 4.5 weighted GPA. That's comparing apples to oranges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Just remember. Colleges ask for weighted and unweighted GPA so more APs is not always better. Pick the class program that is right for your kid.

Colleges may ask, but they only get the weighted GPA from FCPS. They can calculate it themselves of course, if they so choose.

It seems like they should calculate it themselves. Based on the first response in the thread, FCPS's grades for honors classes are inflated relative to APS. A kid in APS who gets all As in honors classes would have a 4.0 weighted gpa and a kid in FCPS would have a 4.5 weighted GPA. That's comparing apples to oranges.

Admissions officers know this kind of discrepancy exists from school
to school and recalculate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Just remember. Colleges ask for weighted and unweighted GPA so more APs is not always better. Pick the class program that is right for your kid.

Colleges may ask, but they only get the weighted GPA from FCPS. They can calculate it themselves of course, if they so choose.

It seems like they should calculate it themselves. Based on the first response in the thread, FCPS's grades for honors classes are inflated relative to APS. A kid in APS who gets all As in honors classes would have a 4.0 weighted gpa and a kid in FCPS would have a 4.5 weighted GPA. That's comparing apples to oranges.

Admissions officers know this kind of discrepancy exists from school
to school and recalculate.

+1

Schools across the country have different grading policies and admissions officers take these differences into account.

[Anonymous]

Do the 0.5 (for Honors) and 1.0 (for AP) bumps apply in the case of a grade of F? It does not seem there is any exception for Fs in the general statement at https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/AYKL5F51AE18/$file/R2462.pdf that "High school credit-bearing honors courses in mathematics, science, English, and social studies and other courses approved through the annual course review process also receive a 0.5 weight. For example, a final grade of A in an honors course receives 4.5 quality points for purposes of calculating GPA. "

[Anonymous]

Colleges look at regular GPA(not weighted) and Weighted GPA(shows rigor). So in the end, the weighted factor really does not matter all that much.