Weighted or Unweighted GPA?
Being a homeschooler doesn’t just mean you are a teacher. It means you are a teacher, and a counselor, and a principle, and a superintendent, and a school board. And along with all of those duties, one of the most important is record keeping.
But record keeping doesn’t just mean taking notes and keeping track of what your kids are doing on a “mom” calendar, especially if you are planning for college.
Grades are an integral part, or should be, of your student’s school records. How you grade may not be as simple as you think.
I’m sure by now you’ve heard the terms weighted GPA and traditional or non-weighted GPA. If not, you will soon. So what’s the difference and what does it mean for you, as a homeschool teacher or student?
As you start to plan your high school courses, understanding what a weighted GPA is will be a valuable asset for maximizing college acceptance potential.
Before panic sets in, take a deep breath and read on. I’ll explain a weighted GPA and give you an example of how to calculate one.
What is a Weighted GPA?
A weighted GPA is a student’s grade point average that not only accounts for the grade earned in a course, but also the difficulty of the course. Students who choose to take more challenging courses such as honors, advanced placement (AP), or college level courses are rewarded for their efforts.
A typical scale for a non-weighted GPA, based solely on grades, is 0 – 4.0.
A weighted GPA uses a scale that is adjusted to account for the difficulty of the course. The more challenging the course, the more it’s worth.
Why does it matter?
By using a weighted GPA, colleges are able to easily recognize a student’s willingness and ability to complete challenging courses and work at a higher level. It also demonstrates dedication and a desire to succeed, both of which are traits that colleges desire in their students.
Being a homeschooler applying to college isn’t a bad thing, it’s actually becoming more and more desirable, but because it’s still not the norm and the process is going to look a little different, it can be helpful to use everything you’ve got to stand out. A weighted GPA can up the odds of being a competitive candidate for admission.
Weighted and unweighted GPAs are considered differently by colleges. Just because a student has a solid 4.0 for their high school career doesn’t make them a shoo-in.
More credit is going to be given to a student that earns all Bs in AP or college-level courses than one that gets straight As in standard-level courses. Although an A is viewed as a better grade, the courses are not on the same playing field so, therefore, it doesn’t account for as much. Colleges tend to look more favorably on the students willing to consistently push themselves rather than just breeze through.
How do you calculate a GPA?
Calculating a GPA isn’t hard, mostly because you have been keeping excellent records 😉
The following hypothetical scenario takes into account the level and number of hours for courses taken during a freshman year of high school.
To calculate the overall GPA for the year, average the numbers in the column. In this example, the overall freshman unweighted GPA would be 3.6, and the overall weighted GPA would be 4.1.
If the same number of classes are taken each year, the yearly calculated GPAs can be averaged together in order to obtain a cumulative high school GPA.
If the same number of classes are not taken each year, you will have to add all of the GPAs, weighted or unweighted, together and divide by the total number of classes taken in all four years.
In Conclusion
Weighted GPAs take into account not only how a student performs in class, but also the level of difficulty of the class. It reflects your progress and willingness to challenge yourself academically. Demonstrating knowledge, skill, AND higher educational goals are all beneficial to a successful college application.
