U-32 High School revises GPA conversion for confused colleges

(WCAX)
Published: Jan. 7, 2020 at 8:28 AM EST
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Another Vermont high school is running into complications when it comes to the state's new Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements.

School leaders at U-32 High School said last week that confusion from colleges over GPAs has them changing the way they calculate the score.

In an email to parents, the principal of the high school said as they were implementing Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements, they got feedback from college admissions officers and school counselors about confusion with the GPA calculations.

"We have promised our students and families that we would ensure that they were not penalized or disadvantaged by our actions," Principal Steven Dellinger-Pate said in the letter. "We learned that some colleges did not fully understand the level of rigor that was reflected in our students’ GPAs. We are working to ensure that all students are treated fairly and equitably in the college application process. It is for this reason that we changed our GPA calculations and revised our school profile accordingly."

U-32 is not the only school to run into trouble. The principal at BFA-St. Albans resigned in October amid growing tensions over student transcript issues, saying the state should have provided better guidance on how to implement the system.

Vermont education officials have admitted the rollout of the proficiency-based learning system has caused confusion. Vermont Education Secretary Dan French told WCAX schools were given the option of using proficiency-based learning "without the grading piece."

That's why some high schools, like Burlington High School, are still grading with traditional ABCs, whereas BFA and U-32 tried to make the switch to a proficiency-based one-through-four scale.