State law will standardize GPA calculation; Magnolia ISD pauses local class-rank changes

Magnolia Independent School District officials told trustees they will not implement planned local changes to high school class-rank calculation after the state enacted Senate Bill 1191. Dr. Garza, the district officer who presented the update, said the law "requires the Texas commissioner of education to develop a standardized method of calculating grade point averages" and that "we do not have local control of the situation" on class rank. The district had proposed moving to a 100-point scale and counting only the four core subjects plus world language for class-rank and GPA calculations. The change, Garza said, also will require equal weight for AP, IB, certain dual-credit courses and "OnRamps" courses under the statewide method. Garza said the district is unclear on implementation timing and said it could be effective for the classes entering in 2026'27 or 2027'28, but that the timeline is "not specified." He recommended keeping the current local system in place rather than adopting a change that the state could then alter. Trustees and administrators discussed implementation risks, including the possibility of retroactive application. Garza said, "We don't know too much about the bill beyond that there's gonna be a standard method for calculating GPA across the state." Trustees asked staff to monitor the commissioner's rulemaking and to communicate updates to families when more is known. No formal board action was taken to adopt a new class-rank policy; trustees were given an informational update and asked administration to keep the community informed. The district plans to provide a public communication to parents following the meeting outlining why the locally proposed change will not move forward immediately and to share further details once the commissioner issues guidance.