Classes to carry weight

The Cedar Grove-Belgium School Board this month unanimously approved a proposal to switch to a weighted grading system at the high school per the request of Principal Josh Ketterhagen.

Grades will be on a five-point scale starting with the Class of 2024. The weighted classes include dual credit, Advanced Placement and those in Cooperative Academic Partnership Program (CAPP).

In those classes, an A will receive a 5.0, an A- 4.67, an A/B 4.5, a B+ 4.33 and a B 4.0.

The goal of the new scale, Ketterhagen said, is “so that GPAs and transcripts reflect weighted grades and the level of coursework that comes with those courses.

“This will give students accurate GPAs when compared to other schools that are weighted.”

The school is also dropping its A+ grade, which had earned a 4.34 on the scale. An A and A+ will now receive equal points.

The new scale will also help break ties in class rankings, which determine who receives the Academic Excellence Scholarship.

District research shows the following area school systems use some kind of weighted grading scale: Port Washington-Saukville, Northern Ozaukee, Kohler, Oostburg, Howards Grove and Reedsville.

Those not using weighted grades include Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, Hilbert, Kiel, Plymouth, Random Lake, Sheboygan Falls, Sheboygan Christian and Valders.