In other words, a secondary school using standards-based grades does not need to fully eliminate reporting letter grades, if there is a compelling reason to do so. The second and final step is to determine a final grade based upon the standard scores using one of three methods. The first step is to determine a standard score.

Because some secondary schools may have a need to determine letter grades and grade point averages, the purpose of this post is to describe several ways to make this happen. 1-4) with corresponding descriptions of learning. It may seem counter-productive to “go back” to using letter grades once a student’s level of learning has been described using an integer scale (i.e. If you’re wondering what the average GPA is for the college’s you are interested in, you can see the GPA range for admitted students on BigFuture’s college profiles.The purpose of standards-based grading/reporting is to communicate students’ current strengths and areas for improvement relative to course or grade-level standards. These numbers will vary significantly between school districts and colleges. high schools is 3.0 while the average GPA across all U.S. The weighted GPA system can vary between school districts, so talk to your counselor about how your particular high school’s weighted GPA system works. To calculate your high school GPA, add together your grades on the 4.0 scale after converting them from letter grades, and divide the sum by the number of classes you are taking.Īdditionally, many high schools use a secondary GPA system called a 'weighted GPA system.' The weighted GPA system adds extra weight to courses at the Honors, AP, and IB levels. How do you calculate your GPA in high school? However, the way letter grades convert to percentages can vary slightly from college to college and may even vary between departments in the same college. You can also look up the academic requirements of your favorite colleges using College Search and see how your GPA compares to students who got in and enrolled. The GPA listed on your high school transcript might not be what is used by college admissions, since there is a lot of variation in high school grading scales, additional points added for honors, advanced, AP, IB courses.įor admissions, many colleges will recalculate student GPA so there is consistency/equity across applicants based on institutional standards and may not include all high school coursework or weights.Ĭontact your high school counselor or colleges on your list to learn more about GPA and use in the admissions process. Keep in mind that your high school reports your GPA to your prospective colleges. Your school may use a different grading scale. The chart is an example to assist in understanding the components to calculate a GPA. To convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale: Letter Grade This is a common scale used at most colleges, and many high schools also use it. You calculate your overall GPA by averaging the scores of all your classes. High schools often report GPA (grade point average) on a 4.0 scale.

Standard grading percentages