JPS officials explain class‑rank QPA: 'It’s about performance, not program'

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lkesha Marshall Thomas laid out how Jackson Public Schools calculates class rank at the board meeting, emphasizing that class rank is based on a weighted quality point average (QPA) that gives advanced courses (AP, dual credit, IB) five quality points and regular courses four points.

“The order tracks the grades, not the program,” Dr. Marshall Thomas said, adding that “it’s about the performance in those courses that have the biggest impact, not the number of courses.” She told trustees that accelerated courses shift grade bands and that an 89 in an advanced course can earn the same quality points as an A in a regular course because of the weighting system.

The presentation explained two key elements: (1) advanced and dual‑enrollment courses are weighted on a five‑point scale (with some accelerated courses on 4.5), and (2) class rank uses a QPA so averages — not totals — determine standing. Dr. Marshall Thomas illustrated how similar numeric averages in different programs produce identical QPAs, and she noted the district’s partnerships that expand access to dual credit, including Hinds Community College and Jackson State University.

Board members pressed on perceived structural advantages for students in programs that place a larger share of a schedule on five‑point courses, such as middle college and JTEX. A board member asked whether schools that place a higher percentage of a student’s schedule on five‑point courses could effectively produce higher aggregate QPAs. Dr. Marshall Thomas agreed the percentage of weighted courses matters in practice and recommended earlier counseling so families can align schedules with students’ goals.

Trustees and administrators discussed tactics to clarify options for families, including improving counselor conversations in eighth and ninth grade and publishing course catalogs that flag weighted courses. Dr. Eric Green underscored that access to accelerated coursework is available across the district and urged expanding academic counseling to help students plan pathways that match their goals.

The district said the QPA approach is intended to promote equity by focusing ranking on students’ grades rather than on program labels; administrators also provided examples and one‑page infographics for families to explain the system. No policy change was proposed at the meeting; the discussion concluded with a commitment to boost counseling and communications about course sequencing and access.