Confusion over Springdale grade calculations prompts board to review policy

Jennifer Anderson was proud when her daughter, Caitlyn Dougherty, graduated from Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School last week.

But she wasn’t thrilled with how the Allegheny Valley School District reported Caitlyn’s grade-point average on her transcript.

Anderson is questioning how the district calculated her daughter’s GPA.

“Thankfully, my daughter got into the school she wanted, but what if she didn’t because of her transcript?” said Anderson, of Springdale Township.

While Caitlyn will be attending Penn State University this fall, Anderson can’t help but wonder if she was passed over for merit scholarships because of her GPA.

“I have four more students coming through, and I want them to earn the proper GPA for AP (Advanced Placement) and Honors (courses),” she said.

According to Caitlyn’s transcript, in her junior year, she received a final grade of 104% in an AP class; a 94% in an honors class and a 98%, 96% and 94% in other full-credit courses.

She also earned grades of 99%, 98%, 96% and 94% in half-credit courses.

But her weighted GPA for the year came to 3.986.

“She has all A’s junior year, but lower than a 4.0,” Anderson said.

District spokeswoman Jan Zastawniak said that while she can’t comment on specific students’ grades, the district uses percentages, instead of letter grades, at the high school.

Grade-point average is calculated at Springdale Jr.-Sr.High School on a weighted and unweighted basis, according to the district’s website. Weighted GPA includes the percentage earned, multiplied by 1.15 for an AP course and 1.1 for an honors course. Unweighted GPA uses the percentage earned.

In her senior year, Caitlyn earned 107% and 108% in two AP courses, a 95% in a 1-credit academic course and 98%, 100% and 100% in half-credit courses.

Her weighted GPA her senior year was 4.267.

She attended Peters Township High School her freshman and sophomore year. Her cumulative weighted GPA is 3.831.

Zastawniak said grading, specifically, is not governed by policy. However, several board policies, including ones on reporting student progress and class rank, cover information on the grading process.

“Grade calculations are a procedure carried out in the elementary and secondary buildings,” Zastawniak said. “Calculations for honors and Advanced Placement courses are handled at Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School. The procedure was developed by a team of administration and teachers.”

She said policies are reviewed by the school board on a regular basis. The group of policies that govern students were reviewed in April 2023. The procedures used for grading are reviewed annually by building administrators.

Several people review GPAs before they are made public, “especially in the senior class,” Zastawniak said.

Anderson said she had met with administration in the fall and had emailed school board members last week, but was not pleased with their responses.

Board president Nino Pollino told TribLive the board will look into the process to see if there needs to be any improvements or changes going forward.

“We definitely want to make sure it’s fair for all,” he said.

He said that while the board has influence over administrators, they don’t have power to have them change a process that has been put in place, especially when they were notified just days before graduation of Anderson’s concerns.

Pollino said his understanding was that the numbers were calculated correctly and verified by administrators. He stands by the administration’s decision.

Pollino said he didn’t have enough information to say where the misunderstanding was.

“From (Anderson’s) perspective, it’s an obvious error,” Pollino said, “and for administration, we were told, this is how we do it.”

Board member Amy Sarno agreed and said some district communications could be unclear and might need to be updated to better explain the process of GPA calculation.

“I’d like them to look into it so it can be fixed,” Anderson said.

Anderson said that while it’s too late for Caitlyn, she wants the procedures to be used correctly and enforced for future students.

Anderson said she has filed paperwork with the state’s Department of Education about the issue.

“The policy and procedure — they don’t coincide,” Anderson said.