By Eileen Persike
Editor

The Rhinelander School Board will take up weighted course credit during its Feb. 17 meeting. The Instruction and Accountability Committee  voted Feb. 10 to send to the full board a recommendation to approve a proposal assigning weighted credit to Advanced Placement (AP) courses only. The change would take effect in the fall for the class of 2024.

Currently there are a variety of classes offered at Rhinelander High School, such as pre-calculus, that are not AP classes, but are weighted, meaning extra points are assigned to each letter grade. When the subject was introduced at a committee meeting last spring, the RHS Building Leadership Team (BLT) and Rachel Hoffman, director of teaching, learning and technology, suggested that weighted credit be removed from all classes, meaning students would earn no higher than a 4.0 grade point average.  The need to abolish weighted credit, BLT members said, was to achieve educational equity.

Hoffman stated there were several findings that support that proposal, including that there are no protocols or guidelines in place to determine whether a course is weighted.

The committee voiced concern with the concept and asked for more information on grading practices, class rank and weighted credit.

At the Feb. 10 committee meeting, Hoffman said that after further investigation, the administration is recommending the school board approve the proposal to assign weighted credit to only the AP classes.

Superintendent Kelli Jacobi said the next step would be addressing the higher-level math, foreign language and other courses.

The school board meeting is 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 17, at the Superior Diesel Advanced Learning Center at Rhinelander High School.

Additional coverage can be found here and here.