It is often difficult trying to figure out how GPA is calculated in NASIS. There are three types of GPAs that schools are looking for; each one of them distinct and used for a different purpose. They are the Term GPA, Cumulative GPA, and the Rolling Cumulative GPA. The Term GPA is used to determine honor roll and dean’s list distinctions, and is displayed on the report cards or other canned reports. The Cumulative GPA is displayed on transcripts and used for class ranking. The Rolling Cumulative GPA is used to make a good prediction at what a student’s Cumulative GPA maybe at the end of the school year. The Rolling Cumulative GPA is helpful when deciding valedictorians or honor graduates. Here are some basic tips to follow when figuring out the GPA in NASIS:
Term GPA is based upon two components: the GPA weight on the grading task and the GPA value of the score. A common misconception is to think that the number of credits a course offers affects the calculation of that course’s CUM GPA. If a course offers more or less credits than another course offered by your school, and should have more or less weight on the GPA calculation, then be sure to modify the course’s GPA Weight accordingly. To get more in-depth resources that show where the components of GPA calculations are housed in NASIS, please refer to the Technical Reference on GPA Calculations in the Documentation area on the
Customer Support Portal.
The basic formula for calculating a student’s Term GPA in NASIS is:
1. The GPA value for a score is multiplied by the corresponding GPA weight for the score. (This is done for each score within the specified term.)
2. All values from step 1 are added together.
3. The resulting value is divided by the total number of GPA weights for all scores within the specified term.
It is important to understand that the Term GPA in NASIS is not the same as the Cumulative GPA. The term GPA is calculated for each term independently. A student’s Cumulative GPA is the most current average of their GPA history, spanning all transcript items. It is often considered the most “official” form of GPA.
Note: The calculation for the Cum GPA is the same as the calculation for the Term GPA, except the GPA weights are derived from a different location in NASIS. This time the GPA weight comes from the course itself. The grading tasks used may also differ.
The basic formula for calculating a student’s Cumulative GPA in NASIS is:
1. The GPA value for a score is multiplied by the corresponding GPA weight for the score.
2. All values for Step 1 are added together.
3. The resulting value is divided by the total number of GPA weights for all scores.
The Rolling Cumulative GPA is a combination of the Cum GPA and the Rolling Term GPA. It starts with all of the transcript records that have been posted for prior years. Any grades already posted during the current year, are taken from each of the Term GPAs, and not the Cum GPA, to form a Rolling Term GPA.
Note: The Rolling Cumulative GPA is an estimate and should be used for projection purposes only. (If a district does not post to transcripts until the end of the school year, then the Rolling Cumulative GPAs is often used to determine Class Rank.)
The basic formula for calculating a student’s Cumulative GPA in NASIS is:
1. A student’s existing Cumulative GPA is multiplied with the existing Cumulative GPA Weights for all existing scores (except any posted Transcript reports for the current year)
2. The Rolling Term GPA is multiplied with the Rolling Term GPA Weight. These elements are taken from the term scores existing for the current school year.
3. The Cumulative GPA Weight and the Rolling Term GPA Weight are added together.
4. The values from Step 1 and Step 2 are added together.
5. The result is divided by the value from Step 3. The final number is the Rolling Cumulative GPA.
