Articles

Do new HOPE rules discourage excellence?

By Mary MacDonald
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jan. 3, 2006

Thousands of Georgia high school students could soon learn that it may not pay to take a harder class.

Beginning with the Class of 2007, extra points tacked onto grades in honors classes won't be counted for the purpose of HOPE scholarships.

For years, many school systems have encouraged students to tackle harder material by awarding extra points for grades in honors classes. But in 2004, the Georgia Legislature agreed to stop using those extra points for the merit-based scholarships, citing the uneven quality of honors classes.

For college prep students with borderline grades, the new rule could force a difficult decision: Should they take the honors class and risk getting a lower grade that could bring their grade-point average below the 3.0 required for HOPE?

The Georgia Student Finance Commission, which decides which students qualify for the scholarships, is worried that such students will play it safe and take easier classes. Ultimately, that won't help those students or Georgia, said Tom Bowen, the commission chairman.

"Isn't the state trying to push standards up?" he asked. "We, being the state, should really consider this again. Do we really want to tell that student who's right at 3.0, who wants to take a challenging course, 'Don't take it, because you may put your HOPE scholarship at risk'?"

Other public and private school leaders say they share that concern.

Michael Drake, executive director of the Georgia Independent School Association, said the rule could dissuade some students from taking harder classes. "If you know going in that you want to get to a Georgia state university, and take the HOPE [scholarship], then you have almost no strong reason to take an honors class," Drake said.

As rationale for the change, legislators cited lack of consistency. Unlike Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, which follow a set curriculum, honors courses are developed by local school systems.

In a Nov. 30 letter to state Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox, the Finance Commission said it would give students a half-letter weight for grades in AP or IB classes but that it could not do the same for honors classes.

The commission asked Cox and the state Education Board to re-examine honors classes. But a spokesman said the Education Department has no immediate plans to delve into setting standards for honors classes.

Georgia, instead, is focused on rolling out new expectations for regular classes in basic subjects such as mathematics, science, language arts and social studies. The new state curriculum for core courses is being introduced slowly, and the process is expected to take several more years, said Dana Tofig, a state education spokesman, in an e-mail message.

A few state board members say they expect to consider the rigor of honors classes at some point this year. The board needs to consider whether removing extra points for those classes will act as a disincentive for students, said board member Linda Zechmann, who represents southeast Georgia. "That is a valid question," she said.

Drake, whose association represents 142 private schools, said the focus of the state board on basic requirements is part of the dilemma. To comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law, Georgia is focused on minimal standards, not maximum performance, he said.

"We ultimately have an obligation to those kids who ought to be taking honors classes," Drake said.

When the Legislature approved the change, state officials were concerned that the popular HOPE scholarship program was running out of money. But state Rep. Bob Holmes (D-Atlanta), a co-sponsor of the bill, said the intention was not to reduce honors class participation by dropping weights for such classes.

Instead, he said, the goal was fairness. "A grade doesn't mean the same thing across the state," Holmes said. "The whole idea is they're going to use a uniform grading standard."

The HOPE scholarship is available to graduates of public and private Georgia high schools. It covers tuition and some fees at Georgia's state-run universities and colleges. Those who choose private colleges can get up to $3,000 for tuition.

Beginning in spring 2007, the finance commission will determine eligibility for the scholarships based on a standard scale, with a 3.0 average being the threshold for college prep students. Now, school systems send the information to the commission using their own calculations. And the school systems use different grading scales.

Some, such as those in Fulton, Cobb and Cherokee counties, give students extra points for taking honors classes. Others, such as Gwinnett County, award extra points only for standardized classes such as Advanced Placement.

Some students taking honors classes say they can understand the need to set standards. The Legislature's decision will affect only students on the margins of qualifying, said Disraeli Smith II, a student at Westlake High School in south Fulton County.

Smith, who sits on a student panel that advises Cox, said the issue came up recently and that most students agreed there needs to be consistency. But, he said, most of these students would get it anyway. "The scholarship is there," he said. "You know you can keep Georgia students who achieve academically and motivate them to go to a Georgia school. Make the grade that you need to make so you can get into the institution."

Chantai Meadows, 16, a junior at Creekside High, also in south Fulton, said that with a GPA of 3.7, she isn't in danger of losing HOPE eligibility. But without the extra weight, she said she doubts that many students on the bubble would risk their eligibility by taking an honors class.

"Most honors kids, they can just take a regular class and get a super high grade and a GPA, and that will impress the admissions offices," Chantai said.

That kind of strategy worries educators such as Hank Payne, president of Woodward Academy in College Park. The private school has about 250 students in its graduating class every year. Payne estimates that 10 to 15 percent of its students will not qualify for HOPE scholarships under the new rule.

But he doubts that many students will shy away from honors classes. Admissions offices still want to see hard courses on transcripts, he said. "The gold standard is taking the challenging schedule."

Copyright 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more information: www.ajc.com.

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