GPA Scale & Letter Grades

There is a new system of issuing grades starting in the 2015-2016 school year. Student grades will now be generated in the form of letters instead of numbers. This is only the case for grading reports such as warnings, report cards, and transcripts. For many classes (with the exception of fine/performing arts), students will be able to see the number equivalence of their letter grade for term progress (i.e. through iParent). 

The rationale behind moving to letter grades is listed below:

- Colleges generally run on a 4.0 GPA scale with letter grades. Our goal is to help better match student grades with college admission standards. Simply, to provide students with a clearer understanding of how they stack up to colleges and other vocational or certificate programs. 

- Letter grades provide a better relation to our GPA scale. For instance, students often assume a "B" is an 80%. It is not. A "B" is anywhere between an 83%-85%, which is a 3.0 on the GPA scale. An 80% is actually a 2.7 on a GPA scale. The letter grades make this point more apparent to students. 

- Letter grades allow for the fact that there is always at least some subjectivity in grading, even with the most standardized assessments. For instance, if a student takes the same math class at the same level but with two different teachers, the chances of that student getting an 85% (for example) in both classes is very small; however, the chance of that student getting a "B" in both classes in very possible. A letter grade provides a better overall understanding of a student's range. 

Click here to access the GPA and letter grade scale for NHS students: GPA SCALE