Talking Points:

Mr. Thompson’s Membership Update highlights a matter that we would like to see reviewed.  For background, PVS currently recognizes  high school Scholar Athletes who have a 3.5 GPA or higher and who have a 3.5 event standard average in a minimum of 5 events.   It’s the GPA standard we would like revised.

From Mr. Thompson’s report,

· in 2006-07,  forty-one (41%) percent of the athletes in the PVS were Fairfax County residents.  Yet, Fairfax Scholar Athletes only comprised 19.5% of those recognized by PVS.

· Last year, 38% of the PVS were comprised of Fairfax County athletes, but only 27% of the Scholar Athlete list attended Fairfax County schools. 

I’m handing out a copy of a front page article from the January 3, 2009, Washington Post, which outlines what is causing this discrepancy.   Fairfax County grades on a 6 point scale.   Montgomery, Arlington, Falls Church,  PG  County and DC grade on a 10 point scale and give more weights for advanced courses than Fairfax does.  Based on the PVS Scholar Athlete award’s current guidelines, the Honors/AP swimmers in 10-point schools  can be making half C’s and half B’s to receive Scholar Athlete recognition, but Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun and Alexandria Honors swimmers need to make grades  averaging B+ or above to qualify.

 We would like to request PVS recognize that there is a disparity and adjust its Scholar Athlete rules to accommodate and equalize the educational requirements of the Award for a more equitable distribution throughout the LSC.

The following calculation tool could be reviewed as a possible way to compute applicants’ grades to a consistent 10 point standard throughout the PVS.

Grade     Points    Honors/AP/Dual Enrollment/IB

A-B+  (90-100)   4.0                   5.0

B-C+  (80-89)     3.0                   4.0

C-D+  (70-79)     2.0                   3.0

D        (60-69)     1.0                   2.0

 Calculation tool:

# of grades at A+, A, A- and B+:   x 4.0 =

# of grades at B, B- and C+:         x 3.0 =

# of grades at C, C- and D+:         x 2.0 =

# of grades at D and D-:              x 1.0= 

# of grades at F:                           x 0 =

# of Honors/Advanced Courses (AP/IB/Dual)+

# of Total credits:                                   total            /                   =

                                                                                  credit hours        WGPA

 Virginia Ratcliff

Senior Athlete Representative