If someone asks, you will know: The 2004 GPA change to Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (for every C, you need an A to balance it out)

The Macon Telegraph:

[Since the inception of the HOPE Scholarship in 1993,] the number of students receiving HOPE grew steadily each year, and state budget cuts caused increases in tuition. Neighboring states started lotteries of their own, causing concern that the new lotteries would draw people away from the Georgia Lottery.

By 2004, legislators concerned about the vitality of the scholarship authorized a HOPE commission to study the issue and ways to preserve HOPE.

The GPA calculation change was one of the results. In addition, two other cost-saving measures were immediately put into place: putting a cap on the amount of fees the scholarship would cover and adding another checkpoint to verify a student's eligibility.

The [GPA calculation] went into effect this past May 1 and made grade calculations for HOPE standardized across the state.

Under the old method, students were allowed to score an 80 on a 100-point scale to be awarded a B. Now, students must score a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, making it more difficult to obtain a B average.

For example, using the old method, a student could earn an 84 in one class and a 78 in another for an 81 average, which would qualify for HOPE. Under the new method, however, that student's grades would be converted to a 3.0 and 2.0 for a 2.5 average, which would knock the student out of HOPE contention.

Also, some schools weight gifted and honors classes, and the new method only allows Advanced Placement courses to be weighted. The legislation also made all grades count for HOPE. Previously, a failing grade did not count toward a student's HOPE average.

Students also can find out if they're eligible for HOPE by logging onto the state's college Web site, www.gacollege411.org . . . .