I guarantee you that giving the test 8 months into the class will get higher scores than would giving the test 3 months after the course is over, on this test of allegedly essential foundational knowledge for educated members of civilization. Smoke on your pipe and put that in. |
I expect they'll end up with a waiver this year, like they got for Algebra when it was first supposed to be required. MCPS took a whole year to get last year's MCAP sorted. |
I think what you may be missing if you don't have a current student in "Honors" Biology is that the schools are not treating this the way they would an AP class. My child's "Honors" Biology class is full of sophomores who took Life Sciences last year, so not exactly your academic superstars. Both semesters, the class has been taught by a teacher barely out of undergraduate. If MCPS high schools were taking this seriously, they would at least make sure to give these kids teachers with more than four months of teaching experience, to prepare for a test that could seriously impact their GPA. |
+1 |
According to this link that a PP posted, if your kid has solid A's in both the 3rd and 4th quarter, the worst they can get as a final grade for the semester is a B. Yes, it's still stressful and frustrating to deal with this test and its impact, but at least you know she can't get a C. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CyVo3XgTAE0-Ku9D5EtFqozQ1NfqfaGS9yxOb2Ia-no/edit#gid=0 |
+1 Also, don’t assume that the cut scores will correlate to percentages of total points. Standardized testing has large data sets and a statistical process to determine where the break between “grades” is. Some AP tests a 70% is a 5. |
The test is for all Bio students throughout the state. So don’t think your child’s Honors or non-Honors Bio class is going to make them an anomaly of students more unprepared. |
With this chart, does the Q4 grade include or exclude the exam grade? |
If she had an A both quarters, it will be mathematically impossible for the grade to drop down to a C for the semester. MCPS will average as 40%(letter grade) + 40%(letter grade) + 20%(letter grade EOC exam) with letters on 4.0 scale (.4)(4) + (.4)(4) + .2(0) = 1.6 + 1.6 + 0 = 3.2 B Therefore, while it is still not great, failing the EOC exam after two A quarters is still a B. It will be impossible to drop all the way to a C. |
What happens if the final semester grade ends up becoming a C and the student wants to take the class over in summer school for a better grade? Would MISA be incorporated into that as well? |
Interesting ploy! |
This might be the only way for my DS. We have an agreement that any Cs incurred, even if weighted, will lead him to summer school. |
I think my 9th grader, who is great at science and an avid reader, is going to fail the MISA. He doesn't understand these questions and I agree they seem badly worded. His Honors bio class has barely prepared and his teacher told them it's not a big deal. |
Oops! |
Why would a teacher tell a kid that something that is worth 20% of 2nd semester is not a big deal? |