LCSD changes GPA weights of AP, dual credit classes

Advanced Placement and dual credit classes are two ways Lauderdale County students can receive college credit while in high school, but under a new change by the district dual credit classes will now receive a higher weighted grade-point average than AP classes.

The change, along with a slight change in endorsement options for high school seniors, will take place beginning next school year and will not affect seniors graduating in May.

The Lauderdale County school board approved the changes during a special called meeting Thursday as part of a policy change recommendation to the 2024-2025 student handbook presented by Ken Hardy, the district’s director of federal programs, student data and assessment.

“These changes will go into effect in the 24-25 student handbooks. No changes affecting any student this year, but affecting students for next year,” Hardy said. “The reason we want to go ahead and get this done is that counselors are starting to communicate with students about next year’s schedules.”

Announcing the changes now will give students time to plan on which classes to take next school year, he said.

Dual credit and AP classes allow high school students not only the chance to experience more challenging college level courses and receive credit but also maintain their GPA if they are set on graduating with high honors.

Under the new policy, AP courses will carry a 4.5 weight, while both academic and career and technical education, or CTE, dual credit courses will carry a 5.0 weight. The 4.5 or 5.0 would translate to an A letter grade. Previously, AP classes carried a 5.0 weight and dual credit classes a 4.5. Accelerated and honors courses will continue to be weighted at 4.5. All second-year CTE courses that are not a college-level dual credit course will now be weighted 4.5, too.

“We are recommending that dual credit courses be weighted at a 5.0 and accelerated honors and AP courses be weighted at a 4.5 level which is a flipflop of the way things have been historically,” Hardy said.

“Also, all year two CTE programs that are not dual credit — the ones that are dual credit will obviously be a 5.0 course — but the ones that are not dual credit will be honors level so they will be on the 4.5 level,” he added. “Health Sciences 2 currently is the only CTE course that receives that 4.5, the others are 4.0 courses. The committee felt like that would be a good incentive for students to be completers in those skilled programs, be it health sciences or industrial maintenance or whatever it is, to come back and finish that program and get a little GPA boost their second year in the program.”

Also under the new policy, the district is lowering the number of AP and/or dual credit courses needed to receive a distinguished academic endorsement for graduation from six to four, well above the state minimum.

“The state requires one AP or dual credit course to get the distinguished academic endorsement,” Hardy said. “Whenever Lauderdale County School District initially approved those, we wanted six. We had an AP Honors diploma prior to that and it required six, so we wanted our new diploma endorsement from the state to mirror that.”

Hardy said students who take AP classes to meet the distinguished endorsement must still take at least one AP test; complete 30 credit hours that include four English, five math and five science classes; maintain a 4.0 GPA; and score at least an 18 on English and 22 on math sections of the ACT test.

Requirements for an academic endorsement diploma, a CTE endorsement and traditional diploma will remain the same.

In reviewing data from the state accountability ratings, Lauderdale County’s more stringent requirements for the distinguished endorsement adversely impacted the district, Hardy said, especially since many students take AP classes but choose not to take the AP test, or do not pass the test, offered at the end of the course.

There has long been a debate over whether AP classes or dual credit classes are a better preparation for high school students.

AP courses are taught by high school teachers and are geared toward the student passing a challenging test at the end of the course. The tests are scored on a scale ranging from one to five. Passing the test with a three or four may allow a student to skip a prerequisite course for college, such as English Comp, but generally does not translate into college credit hours.

Dual-credit classes, on the other hand, are usually offered in conjunction with a community college, so a student taking a course will receive a college grade and college credit upon passing the course, Hardy said.

Lauderdale County has come to realize what many school districts around the state already have and that is dual credit is a better option for students, Hardy said.

“You are paying money to take a test that is not going to give you credit,” he said of the AP test. “It may allow you to skip a class and get ahead, but you are still going to have to take six elective hours to take the place of those. Whereas, with dual credit, if you take the class and pass it, that is on your college transcript.”

Not all four county high schools offer the same dual credit and AP courses. Some campuses offer them within the school day, and some offer them after school.

Hardy said he expects to see all four campuses push to offer English Comp 1 during the school day beginning next year. Northeast High and Clarkdale already do, but it is offered after school at Southeast and West.

“It is going to be a bigger push to get those offered during the school day. I would be very surprised if all four campuses do not have English Comp 1 offered during the school day next school year,” he said.

Students who have questions about the new policy changes or are interested in taking dual credit or AP classes should talk with their counselor when preparing their schedule for next school year.