The one thing I do NOT like about this system is that the so called “extra-curricular” activities, like athletics, band, orchestra, theater, etc.. are only 4.0 classes.
So, those that excel in sports or arts as well as academics can never compete with those that only take academic AP classes.
I think this punishes students who are the typical type A students who excel in their sport or art, and unjustly rewards the bookworms, who do not participate in any sport, art, or club.
I’m not sure if I should laugh at your comment and ask if you are sure you thought that one through? I’m sure there are smart kids who play sports and can’t devote the time to quite as much as this particular student did, but this girl made a choice to forego other activities to focus on her school work - she deserves what she earned. There is no reason any student in band, orchestra, theater, or sports can’t take AP classes too.
I teach AP classes. Most of my students are heavily involved in sports, music, cheer, etc. That’s the great thing about AP—kids learn how to balance their time. And honestly, most scholarship $ goes to the football, basketball, and baseball players.
Outfits that were too lazy to compare a 3.98 GPA in political science to a 3.80 GPA in chemistry, settled for a lesser class of incoming freshmen or lesser employees.
Now, we have lots of GPAs over 4.00 and almost nobody know what the hell they mean.
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Congrats Jamal. You can't read or write, but here's your 4.0 GPA because you can throw a ball through through a metal ring.
And Jimmy, you don those tights really well. Those AP Chemistry students have nothing on you. That extra prancing you did right before curtain call? Valedictorian material for sure.
“So, those that excel in sports or arts as well as academics can never compete with those that only take academic AP classes.”
Good. That’s the way it should be. The grades should be based on academic achievement in the classes. Extracurricular activities however do matter and indicate rounding. They look good on applications and resumes etc and often get factored into acceptance decisions. Maybe not as much as you would like. During high school I worked at night and no one gave me any extra credit for that. It’s a cruel world.
“The one thing I do NOT like about this system is that the so called “extra-curricular” activities, like athletics, band, orchestra, theater, etc.. are only 4.0 classes.”
When I was in school, those were 0.0 classes, because they weren’t actually classes. Extracurricular means outside the curriculum, therefore no grades, and even if they wanted to give grades, they couldn’t count towards your GPA.
“think this punishes students who are the typical type A students who excel in their sport or art, and unjustly rewards the bookworms, who do not participate in any sport, art, or club.”
Well, it’s a SCHOOL. Extra stuff is extra.
(And yes, I played every sport.)
You’re not serious, are you? Sports, art, and music are fun, but they are not the primary reason kids are going to school. I dispute that those “classes”’should earn any academic credit at all. They are fun, rather than academic disciplines. It’s profoundly wrong to equate a sport with physics or chemistry, mathematics or history.