SANFORD, Fla. — Some parents in Seminole County are concerned with how the school district rewards students who take dual enrollment courses.
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They believe it disadvantages students in terms of how the district calculates GPA.
Students who take a dual enrollment course, which helps them earn college credit, will earn half a credit if they get an “A” in the course for the semester.
It’s the same for SCPS students who take AP courses for a semester.
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However, while it takes students two semesters to complete AP courses, dual enrollment students complete the same amount of work in a semester.
“They’re only going to give you a half a credit for full credit course that you’re getting,” said Mitch Kraus, a parent who first noticed the district’s methodology when his daughter was a student at Lake Brantley.
Kraus says he noticed the dual enrollment biology class she took affected her GPA.
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“She was the valedictorian until they recalculated it based on the progression plan, and she dropped in the rank and then ultimately wasn’t in the top 10,” said Kraus, who calls it an alternative grade point average the district is using when it comes to dual enrollment students.
He said it affects not only GPA and class standing but can also potentially affect Bright Futures scholarships.
“It’s a whole range of different disadvantageous circumstances for them. It’s not fair. It punishes dual enrollment students,” said Kraus, who believes it goes against what the state statute says.
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According to state statute, “alternative grade calculations, weighting systems that discriminate against dual enrollment courses are prohibited.”
Superintendent Serita Beamon wrote to another parent who questioned the district’s methods that SCPS complies with the state statute for the dual enrollment equivalency list provided by the Department of Education.
The district was working on answering our questions regarding the district’s dual enrollment credits. We also emailed the Florida Department of Education but have not heard back.
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