Newton South GPA Update

As a follow up to first term report cards being released this past Monday, here is an update on GPA as we know there have been questions, especially for Uuniors:

As has been shared previously, the Newton South/Newton North joint GPA Committee met this summer to make recommendations regarding how grades earned during the 2019-2020 school year would factor into student GPA. While the school year was disrupted in March, students were awarded final grades using our traditional grading system. This allowed for a continuation of both schools’ long-standing practices for calculating GPA. The one notable wrinkle was that final course grades of “P” were not factored into the GPA at all, even in those courses that have traditionally counted toward GPA.

The GPA Committee has continued to meet during the fall to prepare recommendations for the two school communities regarding GPA practices in relation to our modified grading during remote/hyflex learning. The committee has recommended a plan to calculate a GPA for the 2020-2021 school year to be reported as a “stand alone” that will not be incorporated into a cumulative GPA. Students will receive a GPA for this year in accordance with the following values:

A=4.0, B=3.0, P=2.0, NG=1.0

A weighted GPA will also be calculated, adding an additional 0.5 for each course at the ACP level and an additional 1.0 for each course at the Honors/AP level.

The committee will continue their work and will make additional recommendations once the district makes the final determination regarding grading practices for the 2021-2022 school year and beyond.

Chris Hardiman,
Interim Vice Principal