FARMINGTON – When the SAD 9 board meets at 7 tonight, school committee members again will revisit the issue of changing the weighted grade system for certain high school classes.

“The board made a decision earlier in the school year but is being asked to make an adjustment, on the recommendation of Principal Joe Moore,” said SAD 9 Superintendent Michael Cormier. The weighted factor earlier approved was 5 percent for honors and 8 percent for advanced placement courses. Moore has proposed boosting that to 7 percent for honors and 10 percent for AP courses.

A weighted grading system recognizes students taking more challenging courses that have higher work requirements, Cormier noted. This is not just to encourage gifted and talented students, but for any students not identified as such to take more rigorous courses and make them more competitive when applying to selective colleges.

“This is an important factor that colleges consider, and is only used for class ranking,” Cormier stressed.

Research has indicated many school systems weight some classes, although there seems to be no consistency among schools as to how they do it. All of the schools that do weight grades indicate a commitment to excellence and encouraging talented students, according to a study by the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.

Prior to this year’s changes, Mt. Blue High School already had a weighted grade program, giving 3 points for honors and 5 points for AP courses successfully completed.

Weighting a grade adds to the grade value earned in certain courses. For an AP course, a 90 grade could become a 95, for instance, under the current point system. The proposed percentage system provides greater recognition of the challenging nature of advanced courses of study.