Pursuant to SB 1191, the TEA must form a standardized calculation of grade point average (GPA) calculation across every Texas high school.
This change is good for individual students and helps students better understand where they line up with other students across the state.
With so many different GPA scales across high schools within the state of Texas, colleges tend to calculate GPA in their own way. This can be confusing to aspiring college students as their GPA could differ from this calculation. A standardized GPA scale makes it to where most colleges do not have to calculate their own way and allows students to see better where they stand in the admissions process and plan accordingly. A standardized GPA system across the state helps to set students up for success by allowing them to know where they have a high likelihood of being accepted.
For students applying to various merit based scholarships, a standardized GPA makes it easier to see if a student meets the requirements for application. As of now, different high schools have different weights for courses, different calculations for GPA and different ways of ranking students based on their GPA. As a result, a student can be confused on whether or not they meet the requirements for a scholarship. A GPA standardization removes this confusion, allowing college aspiring students to apply and possibly get some scholarships they otherwise may have thought they were ineligible for due to the differences in GPA Scale.
People may be concerned about students already within the current GPA scale being confused about the new one. This, however, is not an issue as the standardized GPA scale only applies to the 7th graders of the 26-27 school year onward according to the TEA. This means that students already on the current GPA scale will not see a change and will not have to worry about how the changes will affect their GPA. While this means that these students will not see the benefits that come with these changes, this also means that the students will not have to be confused by the changes that come with this standardization of the GPA system.
The standardization of GPA across the state is a good change for college aspiring high school students. It provides them with a clear picture of how they stack up for a college or scholarship. It doesn’t confuse students by changing the GPA of students already within the current GPA calculation. This change is what many envision as perfect. It helps improve the post high school experience of future students in Texas but does not confuse students on their current GPA systems with a sudden change. There is no reason not to support the change unless persons do not wish to make the experience for future students better.
