To: Superintendent Beth Cobb, EWSD School Board, and Principal Robert Reardon
Change the Way Essex High School Calculates GPA
We are students at Essex High School ("EHS") in Vermont. We believe that the current method that EHS uses to convert grades to a grade point average ("GPA") is unfair and negatively impacts us. We respectfully request that the EWSD School Board and Administration stop using the current method and adopt the GPA conversion scale that is used by other local high schools and schools nationwide.
Why is this important?
When EHS converts number grades to a GPA, it uses a system that is different than all other local high schools. For example, if a student has a 90 average at CVU, they have a GPA of 3.67. However, if a student has a 90 average at EHS, they have a GPA of 3.1. A student who has an 83 average at CVU has a 3.0 GPA, but at EHS that student has a 2.1. This is unfair and hurts Essex students when they apply to college, try to get jobs, or apply for scholarships. Our hard work deserves to be recognized.