Grades and GPA
HCPSS grading, explained
5 min read · Updated October 21, 2026
Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) in Maryland grades high school classes under a rule called Policy 8020. It works differently from many other schools: your transcript grade is built from quarter letters, not from one big percent. Once you see how the pieces fit, you can tell exactly what you need in each quarter and on the final.
Whole letters, A to E
HCPSS uses five letters: A, B, C, D and E. E is the failing grade, the same idea as an F at other schools. There are no plus or minus grades in the GPA. If Canvas shows a B+ or an A-, it still counts as a B or an A.
| Letter | Percent | GPA points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 89.5 and up | 4 |
| B | 79.5–89.49 | 3 |
| C | 69.5–79.49 | 2 |
| D | 59.5–69.49 | 1 |
| E | Below 59.5 | 0 |
How rounding works
Before your percent becomes a letter, it is rounded to a whole number. Anything at .5 or above rounds up. So an 89.5 becomes a 90, which is an A. An 89.49 becomes an 89, which is a B.
That half point matters a lot near a letter line. If you are sitting at 89.3, you don’t need a 90 to get the A. You need to get to 89.5.
Rounding happens once, on your quarter percent. Your individual tests and assignments are not rounded first, so every point still counts toward getting over the line.
Rounding near the line
89.5% rounds to 90: A
89.49% rounds to 89: B
79.5% rounds to 80: B
69.4% rounds to 69: D
From quarters to the transcript grade
Each quarter ends with a letter. At the end of the class, those quarter letters and your final exam letter are turned back into points (A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, E = 0), weighted, and added together. The total decides the letter on your transcript.
This has a big effect. Only the quarter letter carries forward, not the percent behind it. A quarter at 99% and a quarter at 90% both count as an A. A quarter at 89.4% counts as a B, a whole letter lower, even though it is less than a point away.
So each quarter is its own fresh start. A great first quarter can’t make up for a low second quarter point by point, the way it would in a class that averages percents. It can only help through its letter.
How much each part counts depends on the kind of class.
| Kind of class | How it is split |
|---|---|
| Full year | Each quarter 22.5%, final exam 10% |
| State-assessed (for example Biology, American Government) | Each quarter 20%, state assessment 20% |
| Semester | Each quarter 40%, final exam 20% |
The cut-offs for the total
Once the parts are added up, the total (out of 4) turns into a letter like this.
| Total | Transcript letter |
|---|---|
| 3.5 and up | A |
| 2.5 to under 3.5 | B |
| 1.5 to under 2.5 | C |
| 0.75 to under 1.5 | D |
| Under 0.75 | E |
Worked examples
Here is a full-year class where the final decides the grade. Two A quarters and two B quarters land right on the edge between an A and a B.
A, B, A, B, then the final
Quarter 1: A (4) × 22.5% = 0.90
Quarter 2: B (3) × 22.5% = 0.675
Quarter 3: A (4) × 22.5% = 0.90
Quarter 4: B (3) × 22.5% = 0.675
Quarters add up to 3.15
Final A (4) × 10% = 0.40, total 3.55: A
Final B (3) × 10% = 0.30, total 3.45: B
How much room the final gives you
The final only counts 10% in a full-year class, so it can usually move you one letter at most. Sometimes it can’t move you at all. With B, B, C, B, the quarters add up to 2.475. A D or better on the final keeps a B. An E on the final drops the class to a C.
In a semester class the final counts 20%, so it has twice the pull. In a state-assessed class the state test counts as much as a whole quarter.
B, B, C, B, then the final
Quarters add up to 2.475
Final A: 2.875, B
Final D: 2.575, B
Final E: 2.475, C
The automatic E rule
Year-long classes (full-year and state-assessed) have one more rule. You get an E for the year, no matter what the math says, if either of these happens:
- You fail both Quarter 3 and Quarter 4.
- You fail both Quarter 1 and Quarter 2, and also fail either Quarter 3 or Quarter 4.
Why the second half matters
Quarters: A, A, E, E
With an A on the final, the math alone gives a C
Failing Q3 and Q4: automatic E
Honors, GT and AP weighting
Your unweighted GPA uses the plain points: A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, E = 0. For the weighted GPA, HCPSS gives Honors, GT (gifted and talented) and AP classes the same extra point, but only when you earn a C or better. A D or an E in an AP class gets no bump.
That means a C in an AP class counts as 3 on the weighted scale, the same as a B in a regular class. A D in that same class counts as just 1.
Your weighted GPA is built from the letters on your transcript, one per class. So the transcript rules above decide both your GPA and what colleges see.
Policies can change, so check the current HCPSS handbook or ask your school counselor if something doesn’t match your report card.