contact
 
 
 
 
 

South Carolina Uniform Grading Scale
The new uniform grading scale and the system for calculating grade point averages (GPAs) and class rank will be effective for all students in the 2007-08 school year. Recalculations will be limited to the use of the three decimal place conversion factors specified in the South Carolina uniform grading policy’s grade point conversion chart. Increased quality points for dual credit courses and full credit for dual credit courses will not be figured into recalculations.

The uniform grading scale and the system for calculating GPAs and class rank will apply to all courses carrying Carnegie units, including units earned at the middle or junior high school level.

All report cards and transcripts will use numerical grades for courses carrying Carnegie units. Transcripts and report cards will specify the course title and the level or type of course the student has taken (e.g., English 1, Algebra 2 honors, AP U.S. History). The grading scale must be printed on the report card. Grades in courses carrying Carnegie units will be converted according to the Grade Point Conversion Table. The table below shows numerical breaks for letter grades and the weighting of grades for specified courses.

South Carolina Uniform Grading Scale Conversions

Numerical

Average

Letter Grade

College Prep

Honors

AP/IB/

Dual Credit

100

A

4.875

5.375

5.875

99

A

4.750

5.250

5.750

98

A

4.625

5.125

5.625

97

A

4.500

5.000

5.500

96

A

4.375

4.875

5.375

95

A

4.250

4.750

5.250

94

A

4.125

4.625

5.125

93

A

4.000

4.500

5.000

92

B

3.875

4.375

4.875

91

B

3.750

4.250

4.750

90

B

3.625

4.125

4.625

89

B

3.500

4.000

4.500

88

B

3.375

3.875

4.375

87

B

3.250

3.750

4.250

86

B

3.125

3.625

4.125

85

B

3.000

3.500

4.000

84

C

2.875

3.375

3.875

83

C

2.750

3.250

3.750

82

C

2.625

3.125

3.625

81

C

2.500

3.000

3.500

80

C

2.375

2.875

3.375

79

C

2.250

2.750

3.250

78

C

2.125

2.625

3.125

77

C

2.000

2.500

3.000

76

D

1.875

2.375

2.875

75

D

1.750

2.250

2.750

74

D

1.625

2.125

2.625

73

D

1.500

2.000

2.500

72

D

1.375

1.875

2.375

71

D

1.250

1.750

2.250

70

D

1.125

1.625

2.125

69

F

1.000

1.500

2.000

68

F

0.875

1.375

1.875

67

F

0.750

1.250

1.750

66

F

0.625

1.125

1.625

65

F

0.500

1.000

1.500

64

F

0.375

0.875

1.375

63

F

0.250

0.750

1.250

62

F

0.125

0.625

1.125

0–61

F

0.000

0.000

0.000

61

FA

0.000

0.000

0.000

61

WF

0.000

0.000

0.000

—

WP

0.000

0.000

0.000

Conversion Process for Letter Grades
Following is the process for converting letter grades into a student's record. The conversion process is applied when transcripts are received with letter grades reported from out-of-state schools or from in state accredited sources other than public schools or for converting letter grades.

Unless numerical averages are provided by the sending institution, the following conversion system will apply: A = 96; B = 88; C = 80; D = 73; F = 61

Grades lower than 70 received from another school, but which are indicated as a passing grade from the sending institution, will be converted to a 73 numerical grade on the new scale.

If the transcript shows that the student has earned a grade of P (passing), that grade will be converted to a numerical designation on the basis of information secured from the sending institution as to the appropriate numerical value of the P.

If information is unavailable from the sending institution, the student’s cumulative transfer GPA will be calculated and the corresponding number equivalent will be assigned to replace the P. (For example, if a student transfers with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 on the CP scale, the grade of P would be converted to an 89. A grade of P, in other words, will neither positively nor negatively impact the student’s transfer GPA.)

Back To Top

AAP/Honors, AP/IB, and Dual Credit Courses
AAP or Honors courses are intended for students exhibiting superior abilities in the course content area. AAP or Honors courses should not encourage a student to graduate early, but should extend course opportunities at the high school level. Transcripts will reflect honors designation for any honors course (AAP or Honors) taken.


The Grade Point Conversion Table assigns a standard numerical weight to college prep.

  AAP and Honors receive an additional .5 weight
Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Credit courses receive an additional 1.0 weight.
International Baccalaureate (IB) a standard level (SL) IB course can carry only one quality point. However, two quality points of IB credit can be granted for higher level (HL) courses in the IB program that require a minimum of 240 hours of instruction.
Only AP or IB courses can be awarded a full quality point above the CP weighting. Seminar or support courses for AP or IB may be weighted as honors but not as AP or IB courses.
College orientation courses offered by postsecondary institutions carry CP weighting and do not receive honors or dual credit quality points.

 

Dual credit courses-whether they are taken at the school where the student is enrolled or at a postsecondary institution-are those courses for which the student has been granted permission by his or her home school to earn both Carnegie units and college credit for those particular courses. One quality point is added to the CP weighting for dual credit courses that are applicable to baccalaureate degrees or to associate degrees offered by accredited institutions. No correspondence or internet-based courses can be given the 1.0 additional weighting. This applies to courses taken over the internet for dual credit courses. Courses taken on the internet for advanced placement credit (e.g., APEX for AP courses) will receive a weight of 1.0.

Back To Top

Determining Grade Point Ratio

GPAs already earned by students will be recalculated on the basis of the revised policy’s three decimal point scale.

All South Carolina public schools will use the following formula to compute all GPAs.

GPR = sum (quality points x units)/sum of units attempted



Student A

Grade

Weighted GPR/Quality Points

Unit

English I CP

91

3.750

1.0

Algebra I CP

87

3.250

1.0

Physical Science CP

94

4.125

1.0

World Geography Honors

83

3.250

1.0

Physical Education CP

92

3.875

.5

French I CP

84

2.875

1.0

Computation:
3.750 X 1.0 = 3.750
3.250 X 1.0 = 3.250
4.125 X 1.0 = 4.125
3.250 X 1.0 = 3.250
3.875 X 0.5 = 1.9375
2.875 X 1.0 = 2.875
Sum of quality points x units = 19.1875

Sum of quality points x units                     19.1875 x 5.5 = 3.488636

Divided by sum of units attempted

Computations will not be rounded to a higher number. 

The establishment of criteria for determining honors graduates, including the valedictorian or salutatorian, is a local decision. Local boards may establish earlier cutoffs (e.g., the seventh semester of high school, the third nine weeks of the senior year) when ranking students for any local purpose. However, class rank for LIFE Scholarships is determined at the conclusion of the spring semester of the senior year.

 

Back To Top

District Procedures for Determining Class Rank
Class rank will be determined using the following procedures:

1. Calculate the sum of quality points times units attempted just as in the example above for computing GPR (sum of quality points x units = 19.1875).

2. Students within a class will be ranked from highest to lowest using the results of the calculation.

3. Carnegie unit bearing courses taken in middle school may be retaken in grade nine, and only the results of the ninth grade course will be used to calculate class rank. (See Retaking Courses)

________________________________________


Additional District Procedures for Determining Class Rank

A. All high schools will use the same procedure for ranking students.

B. Ranking of students will be completed as a report from SASI.

C. The guidance counselors in each high school will be responsible for recording grade point ratio (GPR) and class ranks of students. Counselors will also be responsible for computing the averages and class ranks for students when computer rankings are not available.

D. Seniors will be ranked at the end of the first term of the senior year for the purpose of transcripts, college admissions, and scholarship applications. Then guidance counselors will compute by hand the rank for seniors at the end of the year to determine top honor graduates.

E. The grade point ratio will be expressed as three decimal places. In case of a tie the grade point computation can extend to five decimal places. If a tie still exists after the five decimal places, then the tie will remain.

F. Special Education students (self-contained or resource) who are working in the regular curriculum toward a high school diploma (as indicated on their IEP's) will be included in the ranking process. Students not working for a diploma will not be included.

Back To Top


Withdrawal from Class
With the first day of enrollment as the baseline, students who withdraw from a course within 3 days in a 45-day course, 5 days in a 90-day course, or 10 days in a 180-day course will do so without penalty.

Students who withdraw from a course after the specified time of 3 days in a 45-day course, 5 days in a 90-day course, or 10 days in a 180-day course shall be assigned a WF, and a 61 will be calculated in the student's overall grade point average/ratio.

The 3-, 5-, and 10-day limitations for withdrawing from a course without penalty do not apply to course or course level changes initiated by the administration of a school.

Students who drop out of school or are expelled after the allowed period for withdrawal but before the end of the grading period will be assigned grades in accordance with the following polices:

The student will receive a WP if he or she was passing the course. The grade of WP will carry no Carnegie units and no quality points to be factored into the student’s GPA.
The student will receive a WF if he or she was failing the course. The grade of WF will carry no Carnegie units but will be factored into the student’s GPA as a 61.
If a student fails a course due to excessive absences, an FA will be recorded on his or her transcript. The grade of FA will carry no Carnegie units but will be factored into the student’s GPA as a 61.

Back To Top


Retaking Courses
Students in grades nine through twelve may retake a course at the same level of difficulty if they have earned a D or an F in that course. The student’s record will reflect all courses he or she has taken and the grades he or she has earned.

The student may retake the course either during the current school year or during the next school year but no later than that second year. In addition, the student must retake the course before he or she has enrolled in the next sequential course (unless the student is granted approval by school administration to do so).

A student who has taken a course for a Carnegie unit prior to his or her ninth grade year may retake that course regardless of the grade he or she has earned. In such a case, only the retake grade will be used in figuring the student’s GPA, and only the retake attempt will show on the transcript. This rule will apply whether the retake grade is higher or lower than the grade the student previously earned.



Back To Top

 

End of Course Examination Program (EOCEP) Courses and the Credit Recovery
Option

Students who are enrolled in courses requiring state end of course examinations must take the examinations and fulfill all requirements outlined in Regulation 43262.4. Students will be allowed to take the examination only once, at the end of the regular course duration and not at the end of an extended period granted through the credit recovery option. Students who repeat the course must be treated as though they are taking the course for the first time, and all requirements will apply.

Back To Top