by Patrick Millican ‘15

Over the last few years, the Saint Ignatius rumor mill has generated some fairly colossal canards, but recent stirrings about a proposed de-weighting of classes hasn’t been one of them.

The current grade-weighting system, which is similar to the model by which many other area schools abide, mandates that a grade for an honors-level class have .25 points tacked onto it and an AP-class grade have .5 points added, before being averaged into a student’s GPA.

Since the beginning of the year, the office of Dean of Academics, Mr. Gavin, in conference with the office of the Dean of Teachers Mr. Ptak, has been seeking advice from area high schools, college admissions directors, and fellow administrative staff as to whether the current grade-weighting system should be abolished or changed.

But, some might ask, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? A better question–the one Mr. Gavin has begun asking–is Why have it in the first place? He cites most colleges’ practice of taking the weight off students’ grades when they review their transcripts. In other words, colleges alter the GPA figures they receive by making all A+s worth 4.3, all As worth 4.0, etc., and instead measuring how difficult classes are by reading short course descriptions sent to them by high schools.

An example goes as follows: A student enrolled in Honors Algebra II-Trig with Limits who earns an A- one semester would earn a 3.95 to be averaged into his school GPA. However, when that class shows up on a college résumé, the admissions person reading it would ignore the weight put on the class and instead look at the grade purely as an A-. Then, he or she would read a description provided by our school of what is studied in Limits to determine how difficult of a class it really is, disregarding the distinction “Honors.”

The system currently in place, some allege, is a flawed one because it puts too much stress on whether the title of a class includes either of two words (namely “Honors” or “AP”). In some cases, it may incentivize students to place undue priority on their GPA numbers by taking classes that are out of their depth and disregarding other important considerations during class selection, such as the course’s teacher and the demand the class puts on the student’s time.

Mr. Gavin believes there ought to be a “balance”: an incentive that entices enough students to take classes for which they’re prepared but that doesn’t artificially increase the average student’s GPA or lead him to enroll in courses he can’t handle.

In order to get a good idea of how the student body would feel if these changes were to be implemented, an unscientific poll was taken of a small sample of students from all four grade levels. They were asked how they and their classmates would react in the event these proposals ever became a reality.

The findings? The plurality of responses were negative, many students who fell into this category voicing opinions to the effect of “That would defeat the purpose of taking higher-level classes” and “Way fewer people would take honors or AP classes.” Matt Kobunski ‘14 said that the proposal “wouldn’t be fair” for students who have chosen to shoulder a greater workload and whose GPAs therefore ought to evince that decision.

Others said that their choices of class and those of their classmates would remain unchanged. As Joey Ripcho ‘17 put it, “It wouldn’t change a thing.” Some reactions, in fact, were cautiously cheerful: Tyler Cornell ‘15 said the proposal would improve the situation and would make things “fairer,” but parenthetically added that for others, “it would depend whether they continued taking advanced classes.” Still others, of course, expressed apathy towards the policy or seemed bemused when informed that grade-weighting existed at all.

Never fear, scandalized students, since as of printing, there are currently plans to nix the current weighting system or alter it in any other way; as Mr. Gavin put it, “They’re just being kicked around.”

by Kellen Dugan ’15

Over the last decade, the median cumulative grade point average (GPA) of the Saint Ignatius graduating class has risen by .25 from 3.28 to 3.53. Although the fraction seems insignificant, that quarter grade-point is essentially the difference between a B+ and an A- average. The criteria for academic honors were recently revised to make it more difficult to achieve honors, and yet there are still more students achieving first honors than second honors. The basis for the significant rise in student grades appears to be rooted in grade inflation.

Although the phrase grade inflation carries a negative connotation, in an academic context grade inflation simply refers to a measurable rise in GPAs. And under that definition grade inflation is objectively occurring at Saint Ignatius, evidenced by both the rising GPAs as well as the skyrocketing number of students achieving academic honors.

Lumping the entire phenomenon under the broad umbrella of grade inflation is too easy. Inflation is happening, but the factors contributing to the phenomenon are up in the air.

Three chief components, according to school officials, stand out as causes for grade inflation at St. Ignatius: the increase in students taking weighted classes ( those falling under the AP and Honors subcategories), societal expectations about classroom measurement, and pressure to succeed.

The first factor, according to Mr. Gavin, Dean of Academics, is self-explanatory: more students are taking their chances in courses that are more difficult but have a weighted boost, and therefore GPAs are significantly increasing.

Mr. Bob Corrigan, History Department Chair and AP US History teacher, said that the framework by which students are judged has shifted.

[pullquote]

“We as a society have changed how we understand what grades mean,” Corrigan said.

[/pullquote]“We as a society have changed how we understand what grades mean,” Corrigan said.

He went on to point out that a C grade, which has always been considered the average, is no longer acceptable for most students. The B has replaced the C, and the only way to demonstrate excellence in academics is the A alone. He says this is not what the grading scale was initially designed to reflect.

The competitive academic atmosphere at Saint Ignatius may have also fostered the expectation that the academic average of a student here is supposed to be higher than at most other schools.

High expectations don’t necessitate inflation, but they do increase pressure to achieve, which is less concrete but nonetheless crucial in the rise in average grades.

The trend behind higher grades has a root in the behavior of teachers as well as students. There is serious pressure on teachers to give better grades, pressure on students to earn better grades (self-influenced and parental), and pressure from society as a whole for everyone at Saint Ignatius to do well.

Mr. Corrigan also said that the expectations of society lead to pressure on teachers to give better grades. Teachers do not want to give hard working students poor grades, especially when those grades do not adequately reflect that student’s knowledge of the material.

He thinks teachers are hesitant in giving low grades because they question themselves and their methods before questioning students’ ability, which tends to contribute to higher grades. From the student point of view, most students feel pressured by society, parents, or themselves, especially at Saint Ignatius, to achieve above average grades.

Being held to a flawed understanding of what grades should reflect may result in students working to earn grades that they might not necessarily deserve, he said. And society expects too much out of students, parents expect too much out of students, and students expect too much out of teachers.

The results of each of these expectations are grades given to students that might not reflect their knowledge of the subject material.

The improvement of cumulative GPAs in and of itself is not negative, but what the increase signifies for academic life on campus is troubling. And some in the administration are concerned.

“When I hear grade inflation, what comes to mind is that students are receiving grades that might not equate with their knowledge of the subject,” Mr. Gavin said.

Since grades are the primary means of differentiating between students’ academic ability, it creates problems for teachers when those grades are no longer accurate.

Mr. Ptak, Dean of Teachers and Honors World History teacher, agrees that inflation is bad under certain circumstances.

“Students who haven’t honestly done the work are reaping the rewards,” Ptak said, “that students who have honestly done the work should be receiving.”

However, Mr. Ptak also brought up that Saint Ignatius defends against inflation to a certain degree with the existing grading scale.

If the current system is flawed, there may be alternatives.

Mr. Corrigan is an advocate of dropping weighted grades, which would absolutely inhibit inflation, but students tend to look down on that alternative and the possibility that it would deprive them of higher, college-ready GPAs.

One option could be a total overhaul to the existing A-F grading system. While this alternative option might solve the inflation problem for now, expectations for classroom success won’t change, and no perfect solution is in sight. But the current, aging grading system, despite inflationary trends, is still functioning, dragging GPAs higher regardless of whether or not students are improving.

by Alastair Pearson ’14

The endowment fund, contrary to popular misconceptions that it may support construction, teacher salaries or golf outings for the faculty, is used primarily for the purpose of funding tuition assistance. Just five percent of the fund is spent every year, to keep the principal intact. And that core hub of capital is thriving.

The Saint Ignatius endowment fund reached an all-time high on August 14, 2013, recovering from a recession-era low point in March 2009. The endowment fund gains bolstered the school’s net assets.

Total value of the fund in non-inflation adjusted dollars nearly doubled from 2002 to 2007, before plummeting to the 2009 nadir and and beginning a recovery that reached pre-recession levels in June 2012.

The school’s chief financial officer, Richard Klingshirn, said that the fund’s rise to the August peak was the result of a strong market and new donor contributions.

“This is frankly a lesson in economics and finance, which is to be patient and wait it out,” Klingshirn said. “Just have faith in the markets, and they do come back.”

The return for the endowment fund during the school’s 2013 fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, was 12 percent, which coupled with new contributions helped to push the fund $10 million higher than the year before. Klingshirn said the results were excellent but atypical.

“It’s not going to be 12 percent every year,” he said. “If we were going to look over any 10, 20 year span, we’d expect to see six or seven percent.”

The investment sub-committee of the Board of Regents, which Klingshirn sits on as staff representative, conducts quarterly reviews of the endowment fund’s performance and may add or drop investment advisors. Klingshirn credited the board’s policy with the endowment fund’s gains.

“A sound and prudent investment policy, coupled with rigorous and disciplined investing principles and a steady stream of new contributions from many generous benefactors, have resulted in a current market value that is more than double the value of 10 years ago,” Klingshirn said.

About $3 million a year is donated to the endowment fund, which works in conjunction with the annual fund to extend financial aid to students. The annual fund is a financial aid fund that exists for the duration of each fiscal year.

Other funding sources for financial aid include the annual Christmas Concert and the Scholarship Drive. Donations for new construction like Gibbons Hall are solicited and coordinated on a case- by-case basis and financial support for those projects comes from outside the endowment fund and annual fund.

Klingshirn said that the school spends around five percent of the endowment on tuition assistance per year, contributing to a total of $4.5 million in aid, which supports close to 50 percent of the student body.

John Morabeto, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, said that Ignatius stands out among peer institutions for total financial aid generosity. Ignatius has one of the top five largest endowment funds for Jesuit high schools in the United States, according to Advancement office data.

“Of the 59 largest Jesuit high schools in the country, Saint Ignatius provides the most financial assistance,” Morabeto said.

The high ranking is for total aid, not aid per capita. The school does not give full scholarships.

“We only have so much,” Klingshirn said. “If something is free, it doesn’t have value.”

The advancement office is preparing a campaign to raise $20 million for the endowment fund, which would provide another $1 million per year for tuition assistance. Jeff McCormick, Director of Development and Planned Giving, said that the school recognizes the sacrifice required to pay tuition.

“The financial need of our community has increased dramatically,” McCormick said. “Our tuition continues to go up to reflect our costs.”

Tuition, counting fees tacked on to the official total, is over $14,100. And Klingshirn said that number still does not reflect the financial costs of attending Ignatius, citing the $2,000 disparity between tuition and the $16,100 the school spends per student. The gap is made up with income from summer programs, the bookstore, and miscellaneous revenue sources.

“Every student is in essence getting a $2,000 a year break,” Klingshirn said.

The school’s budget is approximately $23.5 million. As a non-profit institution, Saint Ignatius must use revenue to further the goals of the school. It does not distribute dividends or have shareholders.

“Our goal, which we’ve achieved this year, which we tend to achieve, is to break even,” Klingshirn said. “That doesn’t prevent you from making money, but you’re just obligated to use profits to re-invest in the institution.”

Lisa Metro, Director of Communications, said that given the financial difficulties affecting other non-profit Catholic schools, the endowment fund is vital to keeping Ignatius financially sound.

“The goal is to make a Saint Ignatius education possible for all, regardless of economic disadvantages,” Metro said. “Having a strong endowment keeps our school strong.”