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By CHET BAUMGARTNER
Bluffton High School principal Steve Baker tried to assure a worried mother at Monday night’s Bluffton Harrison School Board meeting that weighted grades would not discriminate against students.
The worried mother, however, wouldn’t accept it, as she tried to convince school board members to open up the weighted grade option to more than just Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
Specifically, the mother, Maryann Spera, wanted to offer weighted grades to students who took dual credit courses (courses that earned credit for both high school and college) and for students not leaning toward math, science and English.
No one on the board took any vote for either party, nor will they until at least late April. In fact, board members had an otherwise procedural agenda.
Weighted grades equate to higher GPAs for students, which could mean a higher class rank.
It means little for universities (which disregard a high school’s GPA standard), but it could mean the difference in thousands of dollars in scholarships.
“It may mean nothing, but then again, it may mean a spot or two,” said high school guidance counselor Ken Ballinger at the board’s Feb. 27 meeting, when they first discussed weighted grades. “I feel like I could make a very reasonable argument either way.”
Under the system Baker and Spera debated Monday, students in advanced placement courses and honors English would receive more points for the same letter grade.
For instance, an A in a regular class would earn four points toward a student’s GPA. An A in an advanced placement class would earn five points.
Spera said such a system “discriminates” against students interested in social studies and students in extracurriculars.
“It’s no longer in the best interest of the students,” Spera said. “It’s in the best interest of the (school) finances,” she said.
Baker, however, contended that finances had nothing to do with selecting what courses to potentially weight (a point board members also made).
Furthermore, Baker said, he plans to offer AP courses in the four major disciplines — English, social studies, math and science — for seniors in 2010. Students heavily involved in extracurricular activities, such as art or physical education, would not have any AP opportunities in their areas.
He said that the school should not wait until 2010 to offer weighted grades just because one discipline, social studies, couldn’t offer anything yet.
Also, Baker said, he knew of too many students who eschewed AP courses because of the potential hit it could make on their GPA’s — and ultimately scholarship opportunities.
“Several ‘A’ students don’t want to endanger that straight-A (record),” Baker said.
Board President Andrew Carnall, who was not at the meeting where weighted grades were first discussed, said that was the best argument he’s heard for adopting weighted grades.
Finally, Baker said, dual credit courses shouldn’t be weighted because they are not as difficult as AP courses.
According to Baker, dual credit courses are essentially high school courses. AP courses are so difficult, most freshmen in universities will never need to take them.
“We’re not saying (dual credit courses) are of less value, but there is no curriculum more difficult (than AP),” Baker said.
In the end, both parties agreed to disagree, as Spera maintained that college courses are just as challenging, saying that both AP and dual credit courses count for college credit.
Members of the public still have time to weigh in on the decision. Currently, the board has made a tentative approval to put language in next year’s school hand book supporting weighted grades. However, they can still pull the language.
In other business, board members Carnall, Daryl Elliot, Gene Gerber, Steve Huffman and Kent Shady:
— Approved by a 4-1 vote the school year calendar for the 2007-2008 school year. The first day for students will be on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Christmas vacation will run from Dec. 24 to Jan. 4. Spring Break will run from March 24 to March 28, and the last day of classes is scheduled for May 29. Shady voted against the schedule.
— Approved hiring several coaches for spring sports: David Dahl as middle school boys track coach, Cayla Crosbie as middle school boys track coach, Dan Willliamson as middle school assistant boys track coach, Francie Patterson as middle school girls track coach, Kyan Harris as middle school girls track coach, Lindsey Fry as middle school assistant girls track coach and Rosario Betancourt as middle school assistant girls track coach.
— Announced that the Bluffton Academic Bowl teams were heading to state competition.
— Announced that all focus group meetings to discuss the new superintendent were open to the public. Community members did not have to wait for their specific “group” to attend a meeting.
The next meeting of the Bluffton-Harrison School Board will be at 7:30 p.m. on April 10.
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