This article is being reprinted from the National Honor Society Q & A. Visit the NHS/NJHS website for more!

How do we calculate GPA for determining eligibility (i.e., candidate status) for our students?

The National Handbook provides a thorough explanation of this matter in the chapter on Selection Procedures.

The scholarship requirement set by the National Council is based on a student's cumulative grade point average. The phrase “cumulative grade point average” refers to the total academic performance as demonstrated by the grades received by the student while in attendance at the school where the chapter is found. For example, in a high school containing grades nine through 12, even when students are selected during their junior year, grades from the ninth grade on should be used to compute the scholastic average; in a middle school with grades 6 through 8, with students first eligible as seventh graders, the grades starting with sixth grade are used. Obtaining grades from a student’s middle school would be inappropriate for NHS consideration and only complicate the selection process, as well as present a problem of verification for the Faculty Council. Similarly, elementary level grades should not be reviewed for NJHS beyond grade 6 in a K-8 school.

Wherever possible, chapters are encouraged to utilize the same standard for computing GPA that is currently used within the school, since that is the system most easily recognized and understood by the students and their parents. Utilizing a non-traditional cumulative GPA calculation or scholarship average requires both additional time for the adviser or Faculty Council to complete the calculations, and additional explanation to be added to the written description of the selection process.

Additional commentary in the handbook offers guidance for advisers when looking at this, the first major step for considering students for membership.