Of course it should count. If you're not ready for the class, then take the regular one.
When I took AP classes in High School I think the scale was moved up by one so an A was a 5 instead of a 4 or something like that as a bonus because the class was harder. I don't recall if a B was a 4 instead of a 3 or how that worked but it was definitely bumped up.

These kids are in 8th grade, NOT high school. The classes should not be on their high school transcript. Even if they got an A in the class, the way the GPA is calculated, it gives them additional credits and lowers their GPAs. Kids in this situation once in high school can take the identical classes as their classmates and get the identical grades, but their GPAs will be lower because of the extra credits.

These parents were only asking that the classes taken in 8th grade be taken off the high school transcript. Not change the calculation of high school GPA. The 8th grade classes affect high school GPA negatively, once the kids start taking AP classes. So, essentially, the students are being penalized for being accelerated.

I'm glad to see everyone agrees, GPA should NOT be calculated differently for accelerated eighth grade students. The district should change its policy so classes taken by eighth graders are NOT figured into High School GPA. While GPA calculation would still be weighted, which doesn't really make any sense to me, at least the accelerated kids would not be penalized for being fast-tracked in Math.

If a TMS student takes a HHS class and the grade does not count toward the HHS GPA, then the class should NOT count to the number of credits needed for graduation. I doubt those who raised this issue thought of that.

I don't think these kids need to worry about the number of credits required for graduation. These are kids that continue with math throughout high school. When they run out of HHS math classes, these kids are sent to U.W. Waukesha for advanced Calculus courses. Interestingly, these classes are counted toward their GPA, but not weighted on a 5-point scale, like AP classes.

The point was that these classes are likely required for graduation, and if the grade does not count toward the GPA, the class should not count to graduation.

Point taken, but there are no "required" math classes at HHS. The graduation requirement is 2 credits of math. The most "basic" requirement is Algebra and Geometry, but these kids never take high school Algebra. They are fast-tracked into Algebra in 7th grade and take Geometry and Advanced Algebra in 8th grade. Some of these kids are already taking Calculus in their Sophomore year.

OK, then this article was badly written and didn't explain the actual issue very well.

Courses you take in 8th grade should have nothing to do with your High School GPA, Transcript, or anything else since you're not in High School when you take them. They should be counted towards your 8th grade GPA and 8th grade class rankings since that's where you took them.

When you're in HS, then you can take college AP classes which count towards your HS GPA and such since you're in HS when you take them.

being a AP honor scholar, a former member of NHS, and having been in "accelerated" or "honors" classes since kindergarten, allow me to say that the "harder" classes are on a completely different level than "regular" classes. Advanced students should receive a boost in GPA--it is only fair. said students are doing far more work than their counterparts. however, what i would really like to see is tougher "regular" classes. apparently, the non-honors kids do not learn how to properly apply blooms taxonomy (according to my close friends, who were not in the honors program at hamilton). i realize that not everyone is intelligent, but i believe that it is abhorrent to not even challenge the non-honors kids. they end up getting away with an 'A' for doing sub-standard work. this is why there is this huge inequality with college graduates these days: the ones who find work and the ones who do not. If your child merely slides by without challenging him or herself--do you honestly believe that he or she will find a decent occupation nowadays?

I wish that the best teachers: Malmon, Figueroa, Dorgan, Stuesser, etc. would be consulted in this. perhaps they would be able to figure out a plan to help the non-honors kids get up to par with their competitors. especially with all of the labor outsourcing occurring in the field.