BRENTWOOD, Tenn.- Chadwick Beahm was a freshman in high school when he
started Prestigious Clips lawn care company. The young entrepreneur has
aspirations of going to Middle Tennessee State University and majoring in
business.
"I've had all A's and B's in all of my classes," he explained.
Now those plans have to be postponed.
"They gave him the high school diploma which it does say honors, which
we're proud of it to say honors," father David Beahm said.
Chad graduated from Brentwood High School with a 3.3 grade point average
(GPA). When David Beahm went to pay for his son's first semester at MTSU, he
didn't see a credit for the Hope Scholarship.
The Hope Scholarship awards incoming freshman, like Chad, with up to
$6,000 each year if they either have a
minimum 3.0 weighted GPA or at least a 21 on the ACT. MTSU told David Beahm his
son didn't qualify.
"You're wrong," David Beahm recounts about the eye-opening
conversation. "I said I've got his report card right here and his report
card says his current cycle was a 3.58 but his overall weighted GPA is a
3.3."
Since 2004, students in Williamson County Schools receive extra points for
taking more difficult classes. So with a final grade of 97% a student will earn
a 4.0 GPA if it's in a regular class, 4.5 for honors classes and 5.0 for an
Advance Placement or International Baccalaureate course.
According to the state's calculation, which is different, Chad's 3.3 GPA is
a 2.8.
"It's a bummer," Chad said. "I put myself in the situation to
have all honors classes and yet I get penalized for it."
His parents say all of this could have been avoided.
"I think the easiest fix would be to announce a state GPA on the report
card," David Beahm suggests.
Chad is going to postpone going to MTSU for a semester or a year so he can
retake the ACT in hopes of qualifying for the scholarship. It could amount to
more than $20,000 dollars over four years.
Chadwick Beahm
