At BSM, students have the opportunity to take honors and AP classes, or both. AP classes are weighted about 0.5 points, while honors classes have no weight. This means that AP classes can have a greater impact on increasing your GPA, adding 0.5 points to your GPA, while honors classes have no effect on your GPA.
BSM should change this. Honors classes should affect your GPA in some aspect since they are significantly more difficult than taking a regular course. If I could choose, AP classes would be weighted 1.0 points, and honors classes would be weighted 0.5 points, which is already the case in many schools around the country. For example, at Los Angeles High School, both honors and AP classes are weighted using this system.
Honors classes generally move at a faster pace than regular classes—this should be reflected in students’ GPAs. While the workload can very much depend on the teacher and the amount of homework, quizzes, and tests that each class has, it can be more difficult to keep up with the workload in honors classes. In order to move faster, honors classes have tests closer together and may not spend as much time on a unit or chapter.
My freshman year, I took Honors Biology and knew others who instead took a regular biology course. Throughout the year, I noticed Honors Biology being one to two weeks ahead of the regular biology class, and my class even went more in-depth in topics that the regular biology class did not discuss. I also took a regular geometry class last year, and I had friends taking an Honors Geometry class. For a while, it seemed like we were going at the same pace, but then we skipped a chapter that Honors Geometry did not. This is why an honors class may be more complex than a regular course; it could be harder for people to keep up with the fast-paced classroom environment. These examples show just how different honors and regular classes can be from each other, and also show the level of difficulty difference between each course.
Many students, including myself, would appreciate it if honors classes were weighted at BSM. While honors classes may not be as hard as AP classes, there is still a distinct difference between them and regular classes. Having honors classes weighted would benefit many students because it could serve as a positive representation of their desire to challenge themselves by taking a more rigorous course.