The District shall apply the same class rank calculation method and rules for local graduation honors for all students in a graduating class, regardless of the school year in which a student first earned high school credit. Calculation in Grade 9 Prior to the 2019 20 School 2019 20 School and Thereafter For students who entered grade 9 prior to the 2019 20 school year, the District shall include in the calculation of class rank grades earned in all high school credit courses taken in grades 9 12, unless excluded below. Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2019 20 school year, unless excluded below, the District shall include in the calculation of class rank semester grades earned in high school credit courses taken at any grade and only in the following: English 1, English 2, English 3, and English 4; Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2; Biology, Chemistry, and Physics; World Geography, World History, U.S. History, U.S. Government, and Economics and Free Enterprise; and Exclusions Level 1 and Level 2 of the same language other than English, no more than 2 credits. If a student begins at a higher level, the District shall include the first two years of the same language. Calculations shall include semester grades earned in District virtual learning courses and the Texas Virtual School Network (TXVSN) but no other virtual learning courses. For all students, the calculation of grade point average (GPA) shall exclude grades earned through: Correspondence courses; Credit recovery programs; Dual credit courses taken anywhere other than the District high school; Evening/night school; Local credit courses; Credit by examination, with or without prior instruction; and Summer school courses. DATE ISSUED: 1/25/2018 1 of 5
GPA and Class Rank Top Ten Percent Automatic Admission Weighted Grade System in Grade 9 Prior to the 2018 19 School the 2018 19 School and After Beginning with students who entered grade 9 in the 2018 19 school year, at the end of every semester the District shall report to all students the weighted GPA representing the top tenth percentile for the class. year, for each student in the top ten percent, the student s specific numerical rank shall be recorded on the student s transcript in the fall of his or her junior year. For the purpose of applications to institutions of higher education, the District shall also calculate class rank as required by state law. The District s eligibility criteria for local graduation honors shall apply only for local recognitions and shall not restrict class rank for the purpose of automatic admission under state law. [See (LEGAL)] For students entering grade 9 prior to the 2018 19 school year, the District shall categorize and weight courses as: Advanced Placement (AP); Pre-AP; and Academic Decathlon at the junior and senior levels. Eligible Pre-AP and AP courses shall be designated in the District course guide. The District shall award a 10-point weight to semester grades in the calculation of the student s weighted numerical grade for grades in Pre-AP courses, AP courses, and eligible Academic Decathlon courses. Additionally, any course that requires an AP course as a prerequisite shall be calculated with the same weight as an AP course. year, the District shall categorize and weight courses as AP, Dual Credit/Pre-AP, and Regular. The District shall convert semester grades to grade points and shall calculate a weighted grade point average (GPA) in accordance with the following chart: 100 5.0 4.5 4.0 99 4.9 4.4 3.9 DATE ISSUED: 1/25/2018 2 of 5
98 4.8 4.3 3.8 97 4.7 4.2 3.7 96 4.6 4.1 3.6 95 4.5 4.0 3.5 94 4.4 3.9 3.4 93 4.3 3.8 3.3 92 4.2 3.7 3.2 91 4.1 3.6 3.1 90 4.0 3.5 3.0 89 3.9 3.4 2.9 88 3.8 3.3 2.8 87 3.7 3.2 2.7 86 3.6 3.1 2.6 85 3.5 3.0 2.5 84 3.4 2.9 2.4 83 3.3 2.8 2.3 82 3.2 2.7 2.2 81 3.1 2.6 2.1 80 3.0 2.5 2.0 79 2.9 2.4 1.9 78 2.8 2.3 1.8 77 2.7 2.2 1.7 76 2.6 2.1 1.6 75 2.5 2.0 1.5 74 2.4 1.9 1.4 73 2.3 1.8 1.3 DATE ISSUED: 1/25/2018 3 of 5
72 2.2 1.7 1.2 71 2.1 1.6 1.1 70 2.0 1.5 1.0 If a student receives a grade below 70, no credit for the course is earned and that grade is not part of the GPA calculation. Transferred Grades Local Graduation Honors When a student transfers grades for properly documented courses, the District shall assign weight to those grades based on the categories and grade weight system used by the District if the same or equivalent courses are offered to the same class of students in the District. The District shall convert letter grades earned in eligible courses to grade points, in accordance with the following chart, and shall calculate a weighted GPA, if applicable: A+ = 99 A = 95 A- = 92 B+ = 89 B = 85 B- = 82 C+ = 79 C = 75 C- = 73 D+ = 72 D = 71 D- = 70 F = 65 A transfer student whose grades were recorded by letters may request specific numerical scores from his or her former school. Such a request shall be the responsibility of the student. The reporting of specific numerical grades to the high school must be by school to school, either on an official transcript document or on school letterhead stationery. year, early graduates shall be included in the total number for the class within the current school year in order to maintain accurate ranks. DATE ISSUED: 1/25/2018 4 of 5
the 2018 19 School Valedictorian and Salutatorian Breaking Ties Honor Graduate Recognitions year, for the purpose of determining honors to be conferred during graduation activities, the District shall calculate class rank based on the cumulative GPA through the first semester of the senior year. The valedictorian and salutatorian shall be the eligible students with the highest and second-highest rank, respectively. To be eligible for such recognition, a student must: 1. Have been continuously enrolled in the same high school in the District for three terms (a term is equivalent to 18 weeks) immediately preceding graduation for students transferring from out of District or four terms (a term is equivalent to 18 weeks) immediately preceding graduation for students transferring from another high school within the District. 2. Have completed the Foundation High School Program with at least one endorsement for graduation and a Distinguished Level of Achievement; and 3. Be graduating after exactly eight semesters of enrollment in high school. In case of a tie in weighted numerical grade averages or weighted GPA, the District shall compute the average to a sufficient number of decimal places until the tie is broken. If the tie is not broken after applying this method, the District shall recognize all students involved in the tie as sharing the honor and title. The District shall recognize at the graduation ceremony the top ten highest-ranked academic students. DATE ISSUED: 1/25/2018 ADOPTED: 5 of 5