HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

10

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO RAISE THE AMOUNT OF GRADE POINTS EARNED FOR AN ACCREDITED HONORS CLASS.

 

 

WHEREAS, a high school Honors class has a more rigorous and fast-paced curriculum than a regular class; and

WHEREAS, other high schools on the mainland award weighted grade points; and

WHEREAS, for example, a letter grade A has a mathematical equivalent of 4.5 grade points, B equals 3.5, and C equals 2.5; and

WHEREAS, most secondary schools in Hawaii continue to give unweighted grade points – a letter grade A has a mathematical equivalent of four grade points, B equals three points, C equals two points, and so on; and

WHEREAS, a weighted grade point system will more accurately reflect the efforts and achievements of students who have pursued a more rigorous and challenging program of study and will serve as an incentive to students to go beyond the minimum requirements and to strive toward achieving higher goals throughout their secondary school experience; and

WHEREAS, although colleges may recalculate the mark point average ("MPA") and add an extra .5 or one point for an Honors course, by not weighting a student's MPA when considering the student for valedictorian or determining class rank, the student is punished for undertaking a more challenging course of study; and

WHEREAS, according to a private poll that surveyed how grade points are calculated, seven out of every nine public secondary schools in Hawaii use the unweighted grade point system for their Honors programs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that the Board of Education is strongly urged to raise the amount of grade points earned for an accredited Honors class in the public school system; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

BOE; Grade Points; Accredited Honors Class