All over the nation, high schools utilize the traditional 4.0 GPA scale. Lake Park has made the pivotal decision to transition from a 5.0 GPA scale to the more common and standardized 4.0 scale.
The change has been in the works for years now.
WC Principal Dr. Alexia Ellett said, “It was a proposal that was brought up prior to the pandemic and we are picking it back up as we are one of the only high schools left on the 5.0.”
There are a multitude of reasons that have prompted this shift in scales. One reason is to make college applications more digestible and less confusing—the 4.0 scale is used by almost all universities and colleges, creating challenges for seniors applying to institutions unaware of the difference between Lake Park’s scale and the traditional scale.
“For example, students see an average GPA of 3.4 for students admitted to Illinois State in SchooLinks and think their 3.5 LPHS GPA means they are a good fit for admission,” college and career counselor Ms. Laura Michaels said.
“However, the student’s 3.5 at LPHS is really more like a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, which is well below the average GPA of admitted students.”
By having a parallel scale students will navigate their applications and school choices with much more ease.
Scholarships also utilize the 4.0 scale. Mrs. Michaels explains students “will then be inaccurately matched with scholarships they may not be eligible for” if they inaccurately convert their GPA.
The 5.0 GPA has hurt students in the past. Dr. Ellett shared an anecdote of a student who received a scholarship but “[the scholarship organization] realized we were on the 5.0 scale and took it away.”
Dr. Ellett affirmed that Lancers should not be afraid of the new scale.
“We have run many sample transcripts and we have talked to many area high schools like the Glenbard District when they shifted scales and the biggest adjustment was for the juniors, the first graduating class experiencing the shift,” Dr. Ellett said.
If anything, the new scale will be aiding students by resolving any confusion with applications while also weighing AP and Honors courses in the same manner. The current scale hurts students who may be trying an AP or Honors course for the first time as a D and an F both equal 0. However, on the new scale, the D would weigh as 1.0 in an AP or Honoros course, aiding students.
The shift in scales will not affect the class of 2025, who will be graduating on the 5.0 scale.
Although new to Lake Park, Juniors and underclassmen should not worry about the shift as it is only meant to help them.
