How do dual credit classes affect GPA? Nevada board approves change

The State Board of Education approved a temporary regulation Thursday that will give dual credit classes the same weight as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes.

Under the regulation, dual credit classes will be added to a uniform grading scale for all public high schools.

Online meeting materials say the changes will be effective retroactively as of July 1. State agency regulations adopted just before the legislative session begins in February are temporary, rather than permanent.

The change is needed to ensure that dual credit classes receive the same weighted value as other advanced classes and that it’s “appropriately reflected in a student’s GPA,” the Department of Education said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

A bill passed during the 2021 legislative session said the State Board of Education would be asked to adopt a regulation, said Dave Brancamp, director of standards and instructional support, during Thursday’s meeting.

Dual credit classes — which allow students to earn high school and college credits simultaneously — are offered in partnership with Nevada colleges and universities, but students are typically taught at their high school campus by teachers at their school.

Students earning an “A,” “B,” “C” or “D” in a dual credit class will receive 0.05 added to the “value” of their grade, according to online meeting materials.

For example, students who earn an “A” in a class will have 0.05 added on top of their 4.0.

A Clark County School District regulation that outlines high school graduation requirements — which cites state law — was updated in July and includes equal weight for dual credit, AP and International Baccalaureate classes.

The school district’s policy also now caps the maximum weighted GPA a student can earn at 4.95. The change goes into effect for the class of 2024.

In response to a question from a board member Thursday, State Deputy Superintendent Jonathan Moore said his understanding was that the Clark County School District had already begun implementing consistent weight for dual credit courses.

There’s nothing in state regulation or statutes that would have prevented the district from moving forward with the change, he said.

Now, other school districts will be required to move in that direction, Moore said.

End-of-course exams

The state board also approved a separate temporary regulation Thursday seeking to have end-of-course assessments account for 5 percent of a student’s grade — down from 20 percent currently — for this school year.

Another change: Students will only take the Math I, Integrated Math I and English I exams this school year.

“The goal is to minimize the amount of mandated statewide assessments and the burden they pose,” the Nevada Department of Education said in a statement.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Steve Sisolak issued an emergency directive that included waiving the requirement to administer end-of-course assessments, said Peter Zutz, administrator of assessment, data and accountability management, during the Thursday meeting.

The declaration was repealed in May and as a result, the requirement to administer the exams is reinstated for this school year, he said.

Zutz said the department has received feedback from people about the “duplicative nature of these assessments and also the anticipated challenges with implementing these assessments after a two-year hiatus in response to COVID-19.”

The Clark County School District said in a Wednesday statement to the Review-Journal that it values the collaborative relationship it shares with the department and Board of Education. But it also expressed concerns about the proposed changes.

“As stated in public comment to the State Board of Education, CCSD teachers have already shared their course expectations for the year, including course weighting for quarter and semester grades,” the district said. “Implementing modified regulations regarding end-of-course exams at this point in the year would create confusion for students and families and additional work for teachers.”

Zutz said the department sought input on the temporary regulation from the “widest variety of stakeholders” and received support. He said there was no feedback in opposition.

There were no in-person or written public comments at the meeting on either regulation.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.