GPA & Class Rank
GPA (grade point average) is one of the main components of the college admissions process. Having a strong GPA (by making high grades in all courses), can increase opportunities for post-secondary education.
Chaparral Star Academy will use the following policies for calculating GPA and class rank:
The following courses will not count toward a student’s GPA
- All courses taken prior to their 9th grade year
- Any courses listed under “LOCAL CREDIT”
- Any courses that were Pass/Fail
- Any CBE courses
- Any correspondence courses
- Any Dual Enrollment Courses
- Any summer school courses (including TxVSN AP Courses)
- Any credit recovery courses not taken at CSA
- Any distance learning or online courses (AP courses offered via TxVSN that are not offered at CSA are calculated into a student’s GPA)
- Any courses taken in foreign countries
- Any courses from non-accredited entities (e.g. homeschool, private)
GPA will be calculated on a 4.0 scale according to the GPA Conversion Chart. Only AP courses, Pre-AP courses and Honors courses will receive the weighted GPA. GPA will be calculated by adding up all of the GPA points (semesters as separate units) and then dividing by the number of units counted toward the GPA calculation. If a student has earned a grade for a course, but was denied credit due to excessive absences, the grade for the course will still enter into GPA calculation. Any summer courses completed will be entered onto the transcript at the end of the following fall semester.
For transfer students, grades from previous schools will be translated into Chaparral Star Academy’s GPA model and will be included in the student’s cumulative GPA. For courses that do not contain a numeric grade and need to be factored into the GPA calculation, the following conversion will be used: A+ is a 98, A is a 95, A– is a 92, B+ is an 88, B is an 85, B- is an 82, C+ is a 78, C is a 75, C- is a 72, D is a 70, F is a 50.
GPA & Class rank calculations will take place three times a year for all high school students: during the beginning of the fall semester (to include spring courses/grade and all new students enrolled over the summer), at the beginning of the spring semester (to include fall courses/grades – the 7 semester average for seniors) and after spring course grades are finalized. For seniors, the final GPA & Class rank calculation will occur directly before graduation to determine valedictorian and salutatorian.
A student’s rank in class shall be determined within the graduating class of the school year in which the student completes all requirements for a diploma, regardless of the number of years the student is enrolled in high school.
This final 8-semester ranking will determine valedictorian & salutatorian for graduation ceremonies. Valedictorian & salutatorian are based on class rank (1st being valedictorian, 2nd being salutatorian). To be considered for valedictorian & salutatorian, a student must have attended Chaparral Star Academy since the fall semester of his/her junior year and must graduate from Chaparral Star Academy. If a student has not been in attendance at Chaparral Star Academy during the previous 4 semesters before graduation, his/her highest possible rank is 3rd.
GPA & Class rankings appear on the student's Personal Graduation Plan (PGP) an transcript. PGP's & transcripts are distributed to students three times during the school year - after the beginning of fall calculations, after the beginning of spring calculations and during the spring for scheduling purposes. However, either document is always available via request. Transcript requests can be made through the link available on the Transcript Requests section of our website, while PGPs can be requested via direct e-mail.