I've never seen this addressed here. My kids' school uses weighted grades for certain challenging courses, AP and IB. I recently learned that some students have figured out the system and have learned to work it to their advantage in terms of GPA and class rank. They might take as many weighted classes as possible - 4 out of a 7 period day - take two other electives for unweighted grades, and then sign up to be an office assistant or teacher's aide for the remaining period, thus reducing the number of unweighted grades diluting their weighted A's. Did I say this clearly? Do you follow?
My son did things very differently. He is a top student and loves music. He had to work very hard and get very creative in order to keep all the ensembles that were important to him on his schedule. Most years, he has had to double up on a class in order to make it so. In other words, he was signed up for two 6th period classes... he would go to Chemistry one day, and choir the next and so alternate, splitting his time. That meant that he then had 8 classes in a 7 period day. If you also factor in a men's choir that meets before school and orchestra, which has rehearsal in the evening, but is for credit, that meant 10 grades in a 7 period schedule!
Let me be clear - he wasn't padding his grades with easy music classes. He was taking the most rigorous coursework offered at his school and getting all A's. But he was doubling up on classes to fit his ensembles into the school day. Consequently, he was outranked by classmates who took fewer classes which diluted their GPA's by less. How have others communicated a student's exceptionality in a situation like this?
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