Grading/Marking System
Lakeland's high school marking system is based upon numerical grades. Students can generally utilize the scales below to translate their grades if they need to.
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*In the event that a student is not able to complete their coursework by the end of a quarter, two weeks will be allowed to make-up an incomplete grade. Report cards will be issued every 45 school days.*
Grade Weighting
Higher level courses at Lakeland carry a greater weight towards student GPA. This means that students can earn greater than 100% in these courses. Honors courses carry an extra 5% weight, maxing out at 105 for all grades. Advanced Placement (AP) and Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses carry an extra 8% weight, maxing out at 108 for all grades. These weights will be added to quarter, mid-term, and final exam grades.
If any applications, scholarships, or programs ask, Lakeland utilizes a 100% Weighted Scale for all grading and GPA calculations.
If any applications, scholarships, or programs ask, Lakeland utilizes a 100% Weighted Scale for all grading and GPA calculations.
Dual Enrollment/Enrichment Courses
Dual Enrollment allows a student to enroll in college level courses and earn college credit while still in high school. These opportunities exist both inside and outside the Lakeland building. You can learn more about this on the Dual Enrollment & Educational Opportunities Page linked below.
Students may also enroll in enrichment courses. These typically fall under two categories: credit recovery and extra exploration. Students seek credit recovery when they fail a class in high school, and need the credit to remain on track for graduation. Students seek out extra exploration when they want to learn about a certain subject or topic that is not available at Lakeland. You can learn more about where to go for this on the Summer School Page linked below.
Students may also enroll in enrichment courses. These typically fall under two categories: credit recovery and extra exploration. Students seek credit recovery when they fail a class in high school, and need the credit to remain on track for graduation. Students seek out extra exploration when they want to learn about a certain subject or topic that is not available at Lakeland. You can learn more about where to go for this on the Summer School Page linked below.
Project Lead The Way
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a national non-profit organization established to help schools give students the knowledge that they need to excel in high-tech fields. PLTW’s goal is to increase the number, quality, and diversity of the engineers graduating from our educational system through providing a curriculum that gives students meaningful, hands-on experience in problem solving, teamwork, and project-based learning. The high school program specifically focuses on developing better problem solving skills by immersing students in real-world problems in Engineering, Computer Science, and Biomedical Studies. Project Lead The Way courses in grades 9-12 are weighted the same as AP courses.
Honors/AP/PLTW Philosophy
Lakeland Junior Senior High School offers courses designated as Honors, AP, and PLTW that are open to academically curious and self-motivated students who desire a greater challenge, an accelerated pace, and a deeper exploration of the course content than is available through regular college preparatory curriculum.
Honors, AP, and PLTW courses demand that students manage difficult course material, engage in higher-level thinking and discuss ideas at length to form connections between academic disciplines. Students enrolling in these classes should expect to be held accountable for a variety of advanced readings, analysis of complex ideas, and different types of assessments. Excellent time-management, organizational, and study skills are vital to student success in our Honors, AP, and PLTW programs. In many cases, summer work is also part of an Honors, AP, or PLTW course. Students are responsible for obtaining summer work based on your prospective schedule at the end of the year. Students changing into AP, Honors, or PLTW courses will still be held responsible for summer work at the start of the school year.
Honors Courses
Honors courses offer much of the same curriculum as general education courses of similar title. Honors courses differ from their general education counterparts by providing students with higher rigor challenges within the design of the course and within the level of material presented. Students are expected to employ higher level thinking and explore topics in depth. Projects and coursework will require students to demonstrate broader, deeper and more complex thought processes. Honors courses are weighted by 5% for the purposes of course average and grade point average calculations.
Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
AP course curricula is provided by The College Board. The College Board is company that administers PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject, and AP exams. AP courses at Lakeland prepare students for the AP exams. AP exams give students the opportunity to earn college credit for their high school course, creating greater flexibility and cost savings in their higher education pursuits. In essence, AP courses are designed to prepare students to skip the basic level college courses in that subject and so, AP courses are basically college level courses that a student takes in high school. The expectations of AP courses exceed the advanced rigor and complexity of honors courses. Not all students are prepared, in high school, to be enrolled in a college course, so it is especially important that students and their families carefully consider their time and commitment to these courses before enrolling. AP courses are weighted by 8% for the purposes of course average and grade point average calculations. There are numerous reasons why taking an AP course can be beneficial but here is something from the college admissions perspective: The Impact of AP Credit and Placement on the College Experience
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Courses
Project Lead The Way is a non-profit organization that develops STEM curricula for schools. Lakeland currently offers three PLTW course sequences, Engineering, Biomedical Science and Computer Science. The PLTW courses empower students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges. Students need to be prepared to be very active and self-motivated participants within the course. Minimal teacher-led instruction is followed by extensive individual and group hands-on challenges. These courses are project/lab based and require students to work independently and actively both inside and outside of the classroom. In addition, PLTW courses and completion of the End-of-Course exam give students the opportunity to earn college credit for their high school course, creating greater flexibility and cost savings in their higher education pursuits. The opportunity for college credit is based on the student’s End-of-Course exam score. Students are responsible for researching, applying for, and pursuing these college credits. Based on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) nature of these courses students who enroll should have strong skills and interest in mathematics and science. PLTW courses are weighted by 8% for the purposes of course average and grade point average calculations.
Please read the criteria and course descriptions for each course in which you are planning to enroll. In some cases, you and your parent/guardian must sign the Honors/AP/PLTW Agreement to acknowledge that you have read and understand the Honors, AP, and PLTW expectations.
Honors, AP, and PLTW courses demand that students manage difficult course material, engage in higher-level thinking and discuss ideas at length to form connections between academic disciplines. Students enrolling in these classes should expect to be held accountable for a variety of advanced readings, analysis of complex ideas, and different types of assessments. Excellent time-management, organizational, and study skills are vital to student success in our Honors, AP, and PLTW programs. In many cases, summer work is also part of an Honors, AP, or PLTW course. Students are responsible for obtaining summer work based on your prospective schedule at the end of the year. Students changing into AP, Honors, or PLTW courses will still be held responsible for summer work at the start of the school year.
Honors Courses
Honors courses offer much of the same curriculum as general education courses of similar title. Honors courses differ from their general education counterparts by providing students with higher rigor challenges within the design of the course and within the level of material presented. Students are expected to employ higher level thinking and explore topics in depth. Projects and coursework will require students to demonstrate broader, deeper and more complex thought processes. Honors courses are weighted by 5% for the purposes of course average and grade point average calculations.
Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
AP course curricula is provided by The College Board. The College Board is company that administers PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject, and AP exams. AP courses at Lakeland prepare students for the AP exams. AP exams give students the opportunity to earn college credit for their high school course, creating greater flexibility and cost savings in their higher education pursuits. In essence, AP courses are designed to prepare students to skip the basic level college courses in that subject and so, AP courses are basically college level courses that a student takes in high school. The expectations of AP courses exceed the advanced rigor and complexity of honors courses. Not all students are prepared, in high school, to be enrolled in a college course, so it is especially important that students and their families carefully consider their time and commitment to these courses before enrolling. AP courses are weighted by 8% for the purposes of course average and grade point average calculations. There are numerous reasons why taking an AP course can be beneficial but here is something from the college admissions perspective: The Impact of AP Credit and Placement on the College Experience
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Courses
Project Lead The Way is a non-profit organization that develops STEM curricula for schools. Lakeland currently offers three PLTW course sequences, Engineering, Biomedical Science and Computer Science. The PLTW courses empower students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges. Students need to be prepared to be very active and self-motivated participants within the course. Minimal teacher-led instruction is followed by extensive individual and group hands-on challenges. These courses are project/lab based and require students to work independently and actively both inside and outside of the classroom. In addition, PLTW courses and completion of the End-of-Course exam give students the opportunity to earn college credit for their high school course, creating greater flexibility and cost savings in their higher education pursuits. The opportunity for college credit is based on the student’s End-of-Course exam score. Students are responsible for researching, applying for, and pursuing these college credits. Based on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) nature of these courses students who enroll should have strong skills and interest in mathematics and science. PLTW courses are weighted by 8% for the purposes of course average and grade point average calculations.
Please read the criteria and course descriptions for each course in which you are planning to enroll. In some cases, you and your parent/guardian must sign the Honors/AP/PLTW Agreement to acknowledge that you have read and understand the Honors, AP, and PLTW expectations.
How GPA Is Calculated
GPA or Grade Point Average is a summative average of course grades. Only grades 9-12 are included in a GPA.
Quarter GPA is calculated by: Grade x course weight = grade value. Add all grade values and divide by the total number of grade weights
The GPA for a school year uses final course grades rather than a quarterly grade.
The cumulative average is computed similarly using all final grades from all school years.
Finally, the rolling cumulative average is computed as shown below. The rolling cumulative average is the cumulative average of all years including courses in progress.
Quarter GPA is calculated by: Grade x course weight = grade value. Add all grade values and divide by the total number of grade weights
The GPA for a school year uses final course grades rather than a quarterly grade.
The cumulative average is computed similarly using all final grades from all school years.
Finally, the rolling cumulative average is computed as shown below. The rolling cumulative average is the cumulative average of all years including courses in progress.
