The district informed KVUE that it was made aware of the discrepancy in the fall in Austin, Texas. This issue could potentially impact the college admissions of numerous high school seniors due to an uncovered grading inconsistency. The recalibration of GPA ranking is currently underway at all high schools within the district, with a thorough assessment of the repercussions at each campus.
Following the alert about the discrepancy last fall, the district’s review revealed that grades marked as “P” (indicating pass) during the Spring 2020 term, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, were not being factored in with numerical values. This omission affected students who had taken advanced math and science courses in eighth grade and received a “P” grade, which was not considered in the GPA calculation.
The district’s policy dictates that the ranked GPA should be computed based on up to the eight highest weighted GPAs if students earn credits exceeding their graduation requirements. However, it was observed that this practice was not implemented for students who received a “P” grade in math or science classes.
The implications of these recalculations on current high school seniors, considering the varying acceptance criteria and timelines of universities, remain uncertain. While the revised GPA rankings would have altered past classes’ standings, recalculations will not be conducted for graduated classes.
The potential impact on college admissions under the Top 10 Percent Law, also known as Texas House Bill 588, raises concerns among students and families. This law guarantees automatic admission to state-funded universities for the top 10% of Texas high school seniors, with the top 6% securing admission to the University of Texas at Austin.
For students concerned about their acceptance status at desired universities due to these changes, counseling support is available through the district. Additionally, students waitlisted based on their previous class rankings affected by the “P” grades can appeal the decision with assistance from the district.
At Anderson High School, adjustments in rank GPA affected a significant number of students, with fluctuations observed in rankings but no impact on valedictorian or salutatorian designations. The corrections did not influence students’ cumulative GPAs.
Students within the top 15% of their class will receive notifications of any changes by March 8, while the remaining students will be informed by June 18. For further updates and information, individuals can refer to the social media accounts of Melia Masumoto and KVUE.