When figuring students grade point averages, it seems that the Blue Springs School District places more emphasis on the wrong courses.

It makes sense to assume that the person who takes the most rigorous courses BSSD has to offer would earn the highest g.p.a. This unfortunately is not the case.

Take for example a Pre-AP Calculus class versus a College Algebra class.

In the calculus class, students receive an honor point only the second semester of the class as do all pre-AP classes. Independently, this practice is fine, seeing as pre-AP is a step down from AP, where you receive an honor point both semesters. Nevertheless, when you contextualize the semester honor point you get in this class against the values of a College Algebra class, problems arise.

If we look at a yearlong College Algebra class offered by BSSD, we see that students receive honor point for both semesters. The idea that you receive a higher boost to your g.p.a. with one class rather than the other assumes that the difficulties of the classes vary accordingly. However, this in fact, is not true. College Algebra is slightly more hands off version of Algebra 2. Having taken this class, I learned no new algebraic concepts; rather I got more practice on ones I had learned in Algebra 2.

The difficulty comparison between these two classes becomes easy to judge when you realize that Pre-AP Calculus is an entirely different branch of mathematics. The highest-level math classes that BSSD offers are calculus classes.

With this being said, it makes sense that harder classes should be weighed heavier. This is not currently happening though. Whether there be a political or systemic reason for this uneven scale, if BSSD want to award its smartest students the highest g.p.a’s, then the class weights system must be re-evaluated.