Parents press committee on change to AP/honors weighting; staff say weighting appears only on cumulative GPA

A public commenter and several committee members pressed district staff about a plan to change how AP and honors courses are weighted on students’ transcripts.

“Sue Reiser, a parent, commended many of the changes but said she had a ‘strong concern about the change in weighting for AP and honors courses,’ and urged a phased rollout so current high schoolers are not subject to a mid‑career rule change,” the public comment record shows.

The district’s presentation team said other elements of AP participation remain unchanged — colleges still see course titles and colleges place most weight on the rigor of a student’s program and the grades earned. A staff member clarified that the district applies weighting only to the cumulative GPA; individual course lines on the transcript do not show an alternate weight. The staff member also said colleges often strip or recalculate weighting when they evaluate applications.

Committee members and public speakers raised three implementation concerns: whether the change could affect students currently selecting courses under the old rules; how the district’s student information system (Infinite Campus) would handle different weightings across graduation years; and whether a phased schedule could reduce unintended transcript impacts for students applying to college.

No formal action was taken at the meeting. Committee members suggested staff prepare clearer documentation for families (an FAQ or explainer) and review whether a phased implementation or other technical solutions are feasible. The district said it would provide additional information to answer technical questions and illustrate how the change would appear in college reporting and the district college profile.

Ending: staff said more details and clarifications would be provided to parents and the board before any final implementation.