Palo Alto High School will not — at least not yet — be sending weighted grade point average’s to schools who seniors have submitted early applications, contrary to the Board of Education’s ruling on Tuesday and the announcement given to seniors during Advisory on Thursday, according to a statement released by Principal Kim Diorio during 5th period on Schoology.
According to Diorio’s statement, this change has come because of newly found, unspecified data that shows how many Paly students’ GPAs will decrease when weighted with the UC system compared to their unweighted GPAs. Administrators and members of the Board of Education Agenda Setting committee reviewed the information and have suggested that “we do need to return to the Board with a short-term recommendation for second semester transcripts,” according to the statement on Schoology.
Diorio confirmed stating that there “will be no further action before the next Board of Education meeting.”
Despite stated, students will be given the option to send their weighted GPAs to schools to which they have submitted early applications. To do this, students must submit a google form.
—
Diorio’s statement as is posted on Schoology:
“Good afternoon and TGIF!
I’m writing with new information regarding the Board of Education’s vote earlier this week to report weighted CSU/UC grades on our senior’s mid-year transcripts. Please read this info carefully.
Yesterday afternoon, our district Department of Technology Services, led by Chief Technology Officer Derek Moore, was able to pull the data for the Paly class of 2017 to determine the exact number of students whose weighted CSU/UC GPAs are lower than the cumulative unweighted GPA. The data were very compelling.
After reviewing this new information, Superintendent Dr. McGee, Derek Moore, and I consulted with the Board of Education Agenda Setting committee and determined that we do need to return to the Board with a short-term recommendation for second semester transcripts. .
In an e-mail sent to the Board of Education last evening, here is what Superintendent Dr. McGee and I recommend instead:
“We will not be sending WGPA transcripts to schools to which students applied for early decision or have already been admitted on a rolling basis unless the student fills out a written request that we do so.
…We are reconsidering the necessity for reporting both weighted and unweighted grades on second semester transcripts because we do not want to disadvantage any student’s college application or scholarship opportunities and will report back to our students and families following the next Board meeting.
Prior to the next Board meeting, we will strive to have a staff recommendation for the short term that will assure the best possible outcomes for our students, assure we continue to have a credible relationship with our colleges and universities, and assure that we take into account all voices.”
To reiterate, we will be taking no further action before the next Board of Education meeting. However, if you have already submitted a college application and would like to send a revised transcript that contains the weighted CSU/UC GPA to colleges before January 1, we will do so.
To request for us to send a hard copy of your revised transcript, please complete this google form. Keep in mind the deadline for us to send this information isDecember 2nd, so please be sure to let us know before then.
Finally, I apologize for the confusion and any anxiety this week has caused and am grateful for your continued support and understanding as we work toward an optimal solution. We love our seniors and have confidence that in the end, things will work out. Remember, “college is a match to be made, not a prize to be won.” In my time at Paly, I’ve seen over 4,000 seniors graduate from our school and “find their match.” I have faith that the class of 2017 will distinguish itself with amazing accomplishments beyond graduation too. I am so proud of our seniors.
And boy, am I looking forward to an extra hour of sleep this weekend!
Take care,
Ms. D”
Editor’s note: Previously, the headline of this article suggested that the PAUSD School Board made the decision to revoke the motion they passed on Tuesday evening, to include unweighted and weighted GPAs on student transcripts. It was in fact Paly Principal Kim Diorio and PAUSD Supt. Max McGee who ultimately made the decision to hold off on sending students’ weighted GPAs. The headline has been altered to reflect this.