Dual Credit for no credit P/F class?

[MamaSprout]

Someone mentioned that a pass/ fail class can result in a "C" for GPA purposes. Is taking the class for "no credit" a work around for this problem? Dd has an arts class she wants to take this fall that is only offered pass/ fail. It is available both for no credit and 1 credit. Auditing the class triples the price since there is a discount for dual enrollment.

Since the credit-earning version is 1 credit, I had planned to add in a research paper and a separate outside workshop to award a full high school semester's worth of credit on her high school transcript, reflecting that in the course description. I definitely don't want to mess up dd's gpa right out of the gate, though, with the pass/ fail course showing up on her DC transcript. Thoughts?

[Frances]

I think most schools differentiate between choosing P/F and a class where it is the only option when the grade is recorded on the transcript. Since it’s only worth one credit, I wouldn’t be too concerned even if the worse happens, and some college recomputes her GPA and makes the Pass a C.

I’ve never heard of taking a class for no credit unless it is an audit. Do they still assign a grade when it is not taken for credit? Does it still show up on the official college transcript? If not, I think your plan will work. While I did lots of combing of work at home with non-credit co-op and other classes in course descriptions and on my official transcript, I personally would not have done it with anything that is going to be listed separately on an official outside college transcript. I would just assign partial hs credit for both the outside portion and the at home portion and then tie them together in the course description document.

[MamaSprout]

Actually a C would not be good- it would impact how much merit aid she would get when she applies to college. She's a pretty good SAT/ACT scorer right now and has some schools on her radar that spell out GPA + test score = x$ tuition reduction.

I know, this is a weird grading arrangement for this class. It's pass/ fail whether it is for credit our not. My thought is that if it is for no credit, even if a school converts it to a C would still be.... nothing, right? GPA math is credits x grade value, and zero times anything is zero.

[madteaparty]

at the one place DS has taken classes, pass/fail is called “student elected satisfactory/non satisfactory” so it would be clear from the transcript the student chose this. In your case I think you may be able to avoid the C (which I don’t think is 100% confirmed anyway) if this is not a core class (I was told here the conversion would happen only for core classes?) and you explain on your own transcript,’with an asterisk or something that this class never provided a grade. But I don’t really know. 

[daijobu]

It sounds like you have a good idea of the schools your student will be applying to.   I would call admissions and ask for someone who is familiar with how merit aid is awarded and ask them.  To be extra careful you might ask in a separate thread for others who may have already received merit aid at these schools (you never know).  

I agree it's unlikely they'll count a Pass as a C.  I just looked up info for Hotchkiss School and all sophomores take a required P/F class.  

 Here's some info from TJ:

 

[madteaparty]

2 hours ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Many of the private schools in our area that have a good track record on getting kids into elite colleges, have pass/fail P.E. electives.  I have never heard of that hurting a kid's college chances.
  

So because of that track record, colleges are presumably familiar with the grading policy, so comparing to a private school might not carry. I know at least one elite private school that assigns no letter grades at all, for example. 

Edited August 7, 2019 by madteaparty

[mom1720]

It doesn't have to be a well-known private. Every public school student in our district has a P/F course on their transcript from freshman year. It's a once a week, 1/4 credit, first semester class, that helps with the transition to high school. There's no way to not take it. I have no idea what colleges do with it.

[Frances]

18 hours ago, MamaSprout said:

Actually a C would not be good- it would impact how much merit aid she would get when she applies to college. She's a pretty good SAT/ACT scorer right now and has some schools on her radar that spell out GPA + test score = x$ tuition reduction.

I know, this is a weird grading arrangement for this class. It's pass/ fail whether it is for credit our not. My thought is that if it is for no credit, even if a school converts it to a C would still be.... nothing, right? GPA math is credits x grade value, and zero times anything is zero.

But it’s only one college credit, so at the most part of one high school credit (maybe a quarter or third?). It just doesn’t seem like the overall impact on GPA could be that much. But I guess if she’s right on the border for merit amounts, it could make a difference. Do you know if the community college has different designations for classes where P/F is the only option versus where P/F is a choice? Every college I’m familiar with does. If so, it’s hard to imagine that would be recomputed as a C when it’s not an option.

It does seem if taken for no credit it would just zero out in any potential  re-computation of GPA. Yet another reason not to combine it with the homeschool portion of the class on the transcript, just in the course description.