Northwestern Lehigh committee recommends multiplier-based weighting for advanced courses, stop posting class rank on transcripts

The Northwestern Lehigh School District grading committee recommended that the district replace its practice of adding three percentage points to honors, accelerated and AP course grades with a multiplier-based weighting system and stop reporting class rank on student transcripts.

The committee presented its findings to the district board during a public meeting. Committee lead Aileen Gaddish said the group recommended a 1.05 multiplier for honors/accelerated/dual-enrollment honors courses and a 1.10 multiplier for AP classes, and that the district should continue reporting GPA on a 100-point scale rather than converting to a 4.0 scale. "All of our AP teachers are in agreement with the higher level for AP," Gaddish said.

Why it matters: The committee said the current practice of manually adding three percentage points to marking-period and final grades effectively inflates students’ transcripted grades rather than weighting them for GPA calculations in the same way neighboring high schools do. The committee showed scenarios in which converting to multipliers would shift top students’ GPAs and class ranks — in some cases noticeably — and recommended a phased implementation to avoid retroactively changing academic records.

Key findings and recommendations

- Current practice: Teachers manually add three percentage points to marking-period and final exam grades for honors/accelerated/dual-enrollment-honors/AP courses; every high school course at Northwestern Lehigh is currently recorded as 1 credit. The committee described that practice as inflating grades rather than weighting them for GPA calculation.

- Proposed change: Use a multiplier behind the scenes for GPA calculation (1.05 for honors/accelerated/dual-enrollment honors; 1.10 for AP). The grade displayed on transcripts would remain the actual earned percentage; the multiplier would affect the GPA calculation only.

- Class rank: The committee recommended class rank continue to be calculated but not be reported on students’ transcripts. Counselors would provide class rank to outside agencies on request, and students may request their rank once per year beginning after tenth grade. The committee said it will still identify valedictorian and salutatorian for graduation.

- Implementation timeline: The committee recommended beginning the new multiplier weighting with the class of 2030 (the incoming freshman cohort for the 2026–27 school year) rather than converting all historical records at once. The recommendation cited technical and record-keeping challenges, including the district’s student information software (Sapphire), which can be configured to run two weighting systems concurrently by graduating class but requires detailed coordination.

What the committee presented in evidence

Committee members reviewed local comparator high schools (Parkland, Emmaus, Southern Lehigh, Bethlehem and others) and found that local districts generally weight high-level courses using multipliers or quality-point systems, rather than adding percentage points to displayed grades. The committee surveyed 100 colleges that Northwestern Lehigh students commonly apply to and received 33 responses: 29 of 33 colleges said not reporting class rank on a transcript would not negatively affect admissions, 18 said they recalculate GPA using their own formula, and most said they account for course rigor when evaluating applicants.

Student and stakeholder input

The committee said it met with parents, students and faculty. It reported mixed parent views on the grading scale, student concerns about mental-health effects of early exposure to class rank, and students’ general acceptance of weighted grades for advanced coursework. One committee member quoted students’ reactions: "They care. I don't. Let them have the weight. Let them get more credit," characterizing some students’ view that higher-level classes should yield a measurable benefit.

Technical and operational points

The district’s student information system vendor (Sapphire) told the committee it can operate two weighting systems by graduating class but noted substantial setup and testing. The committee said a cohort rollout avoids retroactively changing historical academic records and the legal and logistical complications of rewriting past transcripts.

Next steps

The grading committee’s report is a recommendation to the board; the board did not take formal action during the meeting. The committee recommended further work with Sapphire, updating the program of studies and school profile documents, preparing communications for parents and students, and setting faculty implementation guidelines. The committee proposed implementing the new system beginning with the class of 2030 and aligning schedule-building and program-of-study communications with that timeline.

"We're not weighting grades, we're inflating grades," committee member Paul Tomlin said during the presentation to summarize the group's findings about the current practice.

The board asked several follow-up questions about the grading scale, the role of class rank in scholarships and college admissions, and the practical steps for the recommended phased implementation. The board also requested copies of the committee’s materials and indicated the item will return for action at a future meeting.