What Does GPA in an Urban High School Actually Mean?

Abstract

The purpose of this researcher-school collaborative study was to examine factors which might be intervenable by urban high school counselors in assisting at-risk students. There were two primary objectives. The first was to examine the degree to which urban adolescents' academic competence predicts cumulative grade point average (GPA). The second objective was to examine the relationship between academic preparedness and teacher perceptions of student honorability, where student honorability referred to positive vs. negative classroom behavior. Because of the potential influence of teacher perceptions, high student attrition rates associated with academic failure, the limited population of college bound students within urban settings, and the subsequent potential loss of human capital to general society, this study was specifically limited to an urban high school setting. The authors hope that this study will add to the current body of literature on current grading practices and assist teachers and school counselors in identifying effective interventions. (Contains 3 tables and 31 endnotes.) (ERIC)