How to Calculate Grade Point Averages
A grade point average is a way of summarizing a student’s performance as a single number. In a broad sense, it is an average of the grades a student has obtained in all of her courses of study. Grade point averages are used as a way for educational institutions to compare the results of students from different schools.
grade point averages
There are different ways to calculate a GPA with secondary and tertiary schools using different methods. Secondary schools, such as High Schools, generally use a straight average of the grades a student has earned, while tertiary institutions, such as universities, also take into account the credit points associated with each course when calculating the average.
This article is a look at how to calculate grade point averages (GPAs) in a secondary setting like high school. Internationally, there is variation in how different provinces or districts measure and record student performance, but the 4.0 point scale for calculating GPA is becoming a widely used standard. For high school students, the easiest way to calculate a GPA is as follows.
The maths
First, each rating is assigned a numerical value. For example, using the common set of letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F, the value of each grade is:
A = 4.0
B=3.0
C=2.0
D = 1.0
F = 0.0
Your school may use different grades and values, but the method used to calculate the GPA will be the same in each case. Calculating the GPA requires adding the value of the grades and then dividing it by the number of grades. This results in an average ranging from 0 to 4.0. Being 4.0 the highest GPA and 0 the lowest.
unweighted GPA
Here is a concrete example. Student Michel has earned these grades A, B, A, A, C, B, A, and A for the semester. Converting those grades to numerical values, they become 4.0, 3.0, 4.0, 4.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 4.0. Adding them together (4.0 + 3.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 2.0 + 3.0 + 4.0 + 4.0) equals 28. Now, to get the average, the total is divided times the number of grades, which is 8, and the average becomes (28 / 8 ) which equals 3.5. So Michael’s GPA is 3.5.
The steps in this calculation are simple and easy to perform, but if you need to calculate the GPA for a large group of students, a computer application is recommended to save time and reduce errors. With a spreadsheet you can set up the calculations, or to save even more time, a specialized app like The Gradebook Program can convert letter grades into a final GPA in one action.
One complication to consider is how the GPA is calculated if there are courses operating at an accelerated level or higher. For example, schools may have courses that are at an Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Honors level. When calculating the GPA, adjustments can be made so that students in more advanced courses receive a higher GPA.
weighted GPA
When this is done, it’s called a Weighted GPA. Continuing Michel’s example with the same list of grades, if the first three grades are from Advanced Placement (AP) courses, when those three grades are converted to a numeric value, they increase by a predetermined amount to increase the grade point average. students.
In doing this, a weighted GPA takes into account that an “A” in an AP course should reflect a higher level of achievement than an “A” in a regular course. And so, students are rewarded for making the study more difficult. Since this is called a weighted GPA, a GPA that does not take into account the level of the courses is called an unweighted GPA.
The amount by which each grade increases will vary between schools, but for this example, AP courses get an additional 0.20 added to each grade. This makes the values 4.2, 3.2, 4.2, 4.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 4.0 because 0.2 has been added to the first three values. So the new weighted GPA is (4.2 + 3.2 + 4.2 + 4.0 + 2.0 + 3.0 + 4.0 + 4.0) / 8 which equals 3.58 when rounded to 2 decimal places. With The Gradebook Program, there is the option to weight grades based on the weight you specify, or you can let the program do an unweighted GPA.