Every year at Honor’s Night, the audience watches as those belonging to the elite group of the 4.0 dwindle down to a mere handful.

On exam days, there have been students crying over a small decrease in their GPA, devastated at the loss of something that has grown so ridiculously sacred. They swear they will never take another difficult class again; they limit the possibility of growth, electing to vie for a position that, these days, means very little in terms of academic achievement.

For students to place such weight on frivolous vanity leads to only one certainty: the GPA system is flawed.

The broken piece lies in the value of our effort.

An unweighted GPA system adds up each value for the classes and divides by number of classes, the highest GPA being a 4.0 that shows the average grade to be a 93 percent or higher on semester grades.

In the weighted system, the classes are also assigned credit values based on difficulty level and are multiplied to the grade, then divided by total credits attempted.

The significant difference, though, is that honors or AP classes are bonus points. Highest possible GPA outcome is raised to 5.0, a value only acquired by excessive bonus classes. No longer is a student’s GPA threatened by a simple B in a college-level course.

The most common reason schools switch to the weighted GPA system is to encourage their students towards stronger classes without their worry that they might lose their rank, according to Dr. Anne Cognard of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.

As of current, our school’s GPA system is unweighted. By these requirements, it is possible for a student to keep a 4.0 while taking painless classes while a student struggling through a more rigorous curriculum may lose their 4.0. Which one has more sentiment? The 4.0 begotten from the easy route or a 3.8 whose efforts in trying harder were overwhelmed by a couple A-’s?

The unweighted system teaches the benefits of slothfulness, that not putting the metaphorical best foot forward in the academic spectrum of life will reap a higher GPA.

Would an athlete be commended for investing minimum effort?

No, they strive to become better to reach their mounting goals. Why should education be any different?

To succeed, the mind must strain.

Those willing to work harder should be awarded for their efforts. It will be challenging, but challenges are the very foundation of academia.