NORTH MANCHESTER – High schoolers who take more challenging classes will get a boost to their grades under a new policy passed by the Manchester School Board Tuesday.
The board also approved a switch from an 11-point grading scale to a four-point scale, and reduced the planned budget by about $837,000.
Under the weighted grade policy, discussed by Junior Senior High School staff and submitted by Principal Nancy Alspaugh, students who receive a B- or higher in an Advanced Placement course will be given the full weight of one point on a 4.0 scale. Students who earn a B- or higher in an honors class will have half a point on a 4.0 scale applied to their course grade.
Alspaugh said the policy is “another carrot” to encourage students to take advanced courses, and will give students an advantage on college applications and scholarships.
“If going to a weighted grading scale gives our kids any advantage for scholarships, why wouldn’t we?” Alspaugh said.
Board members only approved the policy after lengthy discussion. They asked Alspaugh if weighted grades would encourage students who are “capable but lazy,” and if grade weighting would result in grade inflation.
“We don't want to give students an inflated sense of self, (and) this sends grade inflation through the roof,” board member Glenn Sharfman observed. “Try not to pull this over on college admissions by ramping this up.”
Alspaugh said students currently don’t see a benefit to taking AP courses because the results don’t come in until July, and that students will still have to choose what’s best for them among classes like regular history, AP history or a history course that gives them college credit.
Schools Superintendent Bill Reichhart noted that about half of colleges no longer refigure a weighted GPA, and will accept what a school sends them for scholarships and admissions. He added that parents expect the Manchester valedictorian and salutatorian to represent the best of the best, which requires taking the more challenging and rigorous classes.
Alspaugh noted the policy may be revised before being implemented in the 2012-2013 school year.
She earlier noted, when discussing the switch to a 4.0 grading scale, that it’s the same scale most colleges use, and this will save having to convert for applications and scholarships. Manchester used a 4.0 scale until 1985, when she said an 11-point scale was a fad at the time.
The new scale will still allow for plus and minus values on grades, she added.
Schools Businesses Manager Steve Shumaker went over reductions to budget line items, passed down from the state according to levy limits. Shumaker divided $796,087 in reductions to the Capital Projects Fund among various budget areas, as well as $41,141 from the Transportation Operating Fund and $10 from the Debt Service Fund.
The board then approved transfer of appropriations to cover the shortfalls.
Members also took note of a special board meeting Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss building improvement plans. They will review a list of facility needs, such as updating the high school fire alarm system and relocating middle school offices, and consider available funds versus what they might want to finance.
Board President Brian Schilling noted the mortgage on the two middle schools will be paid off soon, and that now may be an appropriate time to take advantage of low borrowing rates.
