University of Waterloo Engineering Faculty High School Adjustment Factor

What is the High School Adjustment Factor?

The High School Adjustment Factor is a tool used by universities to adjust the incoming grades of applicants based on the historical performance of students from their respective high schools. This adjustment allows universities to account for variations in grading standards across different high schools. The University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering is the most well known school in Ontario to utilize this methodology for undergraduate admissions.

How Does the University of Waterloo Engineering Adjustment Factor Work?

For decades, Waterloo relied on a comprehensive list detailing the alignment of marks from various Ontario high schools with the performance of their graduates in engineering programs—highlighting disparities where they existed.

This approach has empowered admissions officers to look beyond raw grades, recognizing that marks alone don’t always provide a clear picture of a student’s capabilities. With limited metrics for admission decisions, universities grapple with the reality that the same mark from different schools can signify vastly different levels of achievement.

Recognizing this challenge, Waterloo’s engineers found a solution within their own data archives. By comparing the high school marks of admitted students with their performance at the end of the first year, Waterloo could discern which schools tended to inflate grades and by how much. This insight paved the way for the creation of a systematic approach to assess future applicants more equitably.

The resulting “adjustment factor” identified schools with minimal discrepancies as well as those with significant gaps between high school marks and actual performance in university. Equipped with this knowledge, admissions officers were better equipped to evaluate subsequent cohorts of applicants with greater fairness and accuracy.

Every year, Waterloo revises the list, with schools potentially being removed or added based on the availability of recent examples that allow the faculty to draw conclusions.

Why is the Adjustment Factor Important?

The UW Engineering High School Adjustment Factor represents a significant stride toward fairness in university admissions. It recognizes that a uniform grade from different schools may carry varying implications. Through its implementation, universities can assess applicants with greater parity, ensuring that students aren’t hindered by inflated or deflated grading norms in their respective high schools.

Waterloo’s Engineering faculty adjustment factor tackles two key issues arising from the uncritical acceptance of high school grades by universities. Firstly, there’s the apprehension that students with inflated grades might secure admission to programs they’re ill-prepared for. Secondly, there’s the potential for the university to inadvertently disadvantage graduates from schools with more rigorous academic standards by failing to adequately adjust for marking differences.

The introduction of the UW Engineering Adjustment Factor has allowed Waterloo to more effectively evaluate applications. While this factor is pivotal, universities also take into account other aspects such as part-time employment and extracurricular involvement.

Response From University of Waterloo

In a letter uploaded on GitHub, a letter from Kathy Winter who works in the University Records Management at University of Waterloo. She states that “it is imperative to note that the adjustment factor is only one of several tools used to assist with the selection of students to University of Waterloo Engineering and to no other faculty at our University.

Beyond its use as an internal admissions tool for Waterloo Engineering, we do not believe that it is scientifically valid to draw any conclusions from it regarding the performance of secondary schools or the performance of students in other programs, colleges, or universities.

The adjustment factor data depicted in the Excel Spreadsheet is based on statistical analysis of the performance data gathered for all students studying first year engineering over the past six years and average differences are calculated.

Adjustment factors are calculated using the difference between students’ secondary school admission averages (Grade 12 required courses, in Ontario these are: Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Physics, Chemistry, English, and one other 4U or 4M course) and their cumulative averages upon the successful completion of first year engineering.

Again, the data in the Excel Spreadsheet is not to be conceptualized as a general adjustment factor and this data is not used outside of the Faculty of Engineering.“‘

To review said Excel Spreadsheet please click here: https://github.com/jdabtieu/Waterloo-Adjustment-Factors-2023/blob/main/AdjFactors2023.pdf

Calculating The Adjustment Factor

Waterloo compare the final high school marks of admitted students with their grades at the end of their first year of university. This comparison yields a school-specific “adjustment factor” that reflects the gap between high school and university grades.

For example, if a student’s grades drop by 20% from high school to university, the adjustment factor for that high school would be 20%. This factor is then used to adjust the grades of future applicants from that high school.

What’s the UW Engineering Adjustment Factor for Each High School?

The exact adjustment factor for each high school is not publicly available for all schools. However, some information has been released in the past. For example, the University of Waterloo has disclosed that the average adjustment factor across all Ontario high schools is about a 14-16% drop in marks depending on the year. The range among high schools is broad, from a low of about 8% at a few schools to 27%.

In 2022, lets take a look at some of the schools in the GTA:

Adjustment Factor for Schools in Markham, Ontario

See full list of schools here: https://github.com/jdabtieu/Waterloo-Adjustment-Factors-2023/blob/main/AdjFactors2023.pdf

Overall, the University of Waterloo Engineering High School Adjustment Factor is a pioneering approach in university admissions aiming to promote fairness and equity in admissions. As universities and specific faculties like the University of Waterloo Engineering department continue to seek the most deserving students, tools like the High School Adjustment Factor will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of higher education.

Sources:
https://globalnews.ca/news/4405495/waterloo-engineering-grade-inflation-list/
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/grade-inflation-university-of-waterloos-secret-list-suggests-its-not-the-case-with-ottawa-schools
https://thehub.ca/2023-06-15/aiden-muscovitch-grade-inflation-is-turning-the-university-admissions-process-into-a-race-to-the-bottom/
https://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/2018/09/26/45660/waterloo-grade-adjustment-list-revealed/
https://decisions.ipc.on.ca/ipc-cipvp/orders/en/item/312210/index.do