We, the undersigned parents, alumni, students, and residents of the Minnetonka School District, are requesting the District change its AP/IB Grading Policy 626 for the reasons set forth below. The current policy grants students a weighted grade only if they (1) take and achieve a specific, district-designated score on an external international exam and (2) achieve a course grade of C- or higher. We are advocating for the District to amend this policy to instead award weighted grades based on rigor of the course and not the external international exam score.

To show your support for this petition, it is most impactful to identify your role in the Minnetonka School District, as a parent, student, alumni, resident, teacher, or otherwise, as well as to include a statement about why you support this petition in the comment section.

As supporters of this petition, we believe that a student’s grade weight should NOT be tied to an external international exam score for the following reasons:

1. Of the top 30 school districts in Minnesota, not one has a similar policy. Nationally no other schools have been identified as having a similar policy. Minnetonka’s policy therefore uniquely disadvantages its students by creating additional and unnecessary barriers to students taking AP/IB classes.

2. Grade weight was originally implemented in Minnetonka schools to “validate and reward that really significant academic achievement in a very very tough course.” former Board Chair Langseth from the March 3, 2016 School Board meeting minutes.

3. Weighted grades were not created to measure performance on a one day, high-stakes test. As recognized by current Board Chair Lisa Wagner, who voted against the District’s current policy in March 2016, “rigorous work is done regardless of the exam score and is reflected in the course grade.”

4. AP/IB exam scores reflect only single-day student performance on the date the exam is administered, which can be affected by many factors including health and personal circumstances. Requiring the exam - plus achievement of a specific score - can also add extra and unnecessary mental health pressures on students.

5. Because college admissions often "re-weight" students' GPAs this policy is unnecessary. The policy also unfairly and unintentionally reveals that a students either failed or did not sit for an exam by the notations on the official transcripts. This takes away the test-optional choice of the student.

6. The policy requires students to “pay to play” for their weighted grade. Individual tests cost up to $130 each and students often take multiple advanced classes requiring multiple AP/IB exams. Families sometimes have multiple students, taking multiple tests. While some financial aid is available, not all families qualify. Tying a weighted grade to a student-paid, fee-based exam creates inequities and may discourage broader participation in AP/IB courses.

7. The District’s policy may be serving to discourage students from taking AP/IB courses, as achieving a weighted grade for the rigorous course hinges wholly on performance on a high-stakes, single-day test. Students may elect “safer”, less rigorous courses to protect their GPA rather than gamble on an uncertain-to-be-awarded weighted grade.

8. AP/IB exams were created for colleges and universities as a way to determine whether a student has sufficient subject mastery to receive college credit or to guide college course placement at their institution. The trend among colleges and universities continues to be to accept fewer AP/IB classes for credit, to require higher exam scores, and to place caps on the total amount of credit students are eligible to earn, if any at all. As a result, students and families may determine that taking the AP/IB exam may not be necessary or appropriate for them.

9. Not all of the exams are created equal. International pass rates vary widely both by test subject and by year. In a more challenging year, numerous Minnetonka students may be denied a weighted grade while peers in other Districts will be awarded the weighted grade, despite achieving the same level of mastery of the subject.

10. On the District level, exam results vary widely by course and by teacher, and exam preparation may be inconsistent from one teacher to another. The District’s policy requires students to bear the responsibility of teaching abnormalities beyond a students’ control that may result in lower AP/IB test scores, despite achievement that has already occurred throughout the academic year.

11. The policy does not apply equally to all Minnetonka grade levels. It only applies to students in ninth, tenth and eleventh grades, since senior transcripts have already been sent to colleges by the time the exam results are received in July.

12. The exams can be inequitable for students with learning disabilities, anxiety, or other unique challenges. Testing companies do not always offer accommodations for individual student support needs. Such a student may be denied a weighted grade despite demonstrated academic achievement in the course overall.

13. By forcing students to take an AP/IB exam to receive a weighted grade, the District is substituting its judgment for that of parents about whether taking the AP/IB exam is necessary or appropriate for an individual student, whether for mental health, personal or other family issues.