The deflated grading is just exhausting.

[Anonymous]

My kid goes to a Big3. Junior year.
The deflated grading feels worse than ever this year and is just exhausting. My kid does homework for 4 hours per night. Some nights it's even more.
Goes in and takes exams. Averages on a recent math exam: 70. Average on a recent science exam: 65. Average on a recent history exam: 85.
Doing well just seems impossible, stress is so high. There are no retakes, no curving, etc. We know from experience that a few kids will end eek their way up to a 90% with lab reports, quizzes, perhaps a better second test. My kid is among these. But many won't. They'll get a straight B or B- in the class even with maximum effort. And then a 5 on the AP exam.
In some classes only 1 or 2 kids will end up above a 90. There is just so much stress and I don't understand why it has to be this hard.
Why take a cohort of very bright, very hardworking kids and then give a straight B as the average (and a tiny handful of low A's across the grade?) It's just exhausting.
I'm not sure what the point it. College admissions aren't even that great--colleges are no longer buying this "a 3.5 is a good GPA!" line.
It's just too far out of the norm of what every other type of school is doing.

[Anonymous]

The point of going to a top 3 school is to get a demanding, rigorous education.

If you’re not happy with it, switch to public or Maret or field or someplace like that.

Was your child admitted early, like in kindergarten or elementary? Maybe it’s not the right fit.

Bs are one thing by getting multiple scores like 75 or 65 could be a sign your kid shouldn’t be of the school.

I tire The people who get their kids into super progress schools and then complain that they are too rigorous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The point of going to a top 3 school is to get a demanding, rigorous education.

If you’re not happy with it, switch to public or Maret or field or someplace like that.

Was your child admitted early, like in kindergarten or elementary? Maybe it’s not the right fit.

Bs are one thing by getting multiple scores like 75 or 65 could be a sign your kid shouldn’t be of the school.

I tire The people who get their kids into super progress schools and then complain that they are too rigorous.

OP here. No, kid was admitted in 9th. Has straight As (some version of them) so far but at such a high cost.
The 65s and 75s are class averages. My kids is above average but still below an A. Will probably eek out As again with a little luck and an immense amount of work.
But the stress getting to that point is so, so high and most peers are not getting As. Playing this game is getting old. Studying for hours and hours
and still getting a B or C on every exam because that is how things are written. When essay exams are graded so that the average is an 82 and only 2 kids get above a 90 (had one of these recently). I guess I get it if a math exam an 82 average. But why grade an essay exam to an 82?
(when your entire cohort can write and has read ALL the material and discussed it in class for weeks, etc).

[Anonymous]

This is a good thing, OP, and more schools should be doing this. Believe it or not, a “C” used to be average and actually meant average. It’s good that your child is getting an education where they are actually expected to learn the material, rather than just get inflated grades for showing up and doing the bare minimum.

[Anonymous]

C = Average
B = Above Average
A = Excellent

Most students should not be receiving A's. If the majority is excellent, then it becomes the norm not the exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The point of going to a top 3 school is to get a demanding, rigorous education.

If you’re not happy with it, switch to public or Maret or field or someplace like that.

Was your child admitted early, like in kindergarten or elementary? Maybe it’s not the right fit.

Bs are one thing by getting multiple scores like 75 or 65 could be a sign your kid shouldn’t be of the school.

I tire The people who get their kids into super progress schools and then complain that they are too rigorous.

OP here. No, kid was admitted in 9th. Has straight As (some version of them) so far but at such a high cost.
The 65s and 75s are class averages. My kids is above average but still below an A. Will probably eek out As again with a little luck and an immense amount of work.
But the stress getting to that point is so, so high and most peers are not getting As. Playing this game is getting old. Studying for hours and hours
and still getting a B or C on every exam because that is how things are written. When essay exams are graded so that the average is an 82 and only 2 kids get above a 90 (had one of these recently). I guess I get it if a math exam an 82 average. But why grade an essay exam to an 82?
(when your entire cohort can write and has read ALL the material and discussed it in class for weeks, etc).

The problem is that you are expecting your kid to get a public school gpa, probably because he was in public school through eighth. Stop putting that pressure on him. It is fine to get As and Bs at a big three. Aiming for straight As at a big three is unrealistic and ridiculous for most kids. Get over that goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The point of going to a top 3 school is to get a demanding, rigorous education.

If you’re not happy with it, switch to public or Maret or field or someplace like that.

Was your child admitted early, like in kindergarten or elementary? Maybe it’s not the right fit.

Bs are one thing by getting multiple scores like 75 or 65 could be a sign your kid shouldn’t be of the school.

I tire The people who get their kids into super progress schools and then complain that they are too rigorous.

OP here. No, kid was admitted in 9th. Has straight As (some version of them) so far but at such a high cost.
The 65s and 75s are class averages. My kids is above average but still below an A. Will probably eek out As again with a little luck and an immense amount of work.
But the stress getting to that point is so, so high and most peers are not getting As. Playing this game is getting old. Studying for hours and hours
and still getting a B or C on every exam because that is how things are written. When essay exams are graded so that the average is an 82 and only 2 kids get above a 90 (had one of these recently). I guess I get it if a math exam an 82 average. But why grade an essay exam to an 82?
(when your entire cohort can write and has read ALL the material and discussed it in class for weeks, etc).

The problem is that you are expecting your kid to get a public school gpa, probably because he was in public school through eighth. Stop putting that pressure on him. It is fine to get As and Bs at a big three. Aiming for straight As at a big three is unrealistic and ridiculous for most kids. Get over that goal.

yes, but a couple of Bs and a GPA quickly trends down to a 3.5 or thereabouts...
and kids at the 75th percentile or below in the class are increasingly having a hard time getting into decent colleges.

what i don't understand is why the schools don't help out their own kids. They are in charge of the grading. They don't have to grade an essay to an average of an 82 and give half the class a final grade of a straight B or lower And then turn around and wonder why their kids with under a 3.5 can't get into Penn State.

[Anonymous]

That's not grade deflating. That's normal even in public school now. Your kid needs to work harder.

[Anonymous]

How did you not know this when you decided to have your child attend this school? You literally signed up for this and could have easily avoided it. Not sure why you’re asking for things to change now.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you, OP. And I’m not trying to be pedantic or any other negative thing in pointing out that the phrase you are looking for is “eke out” rather than “eek out.” “Eke” is is great word.

[Anonymous]

I get it OP. My DC lived through it too at a big 3 and it was so disheartening to have them work so hard with maximum effort to sometimes receive a B- in a class. I’d like to say it paid off, but not sure all the sleepless nights and lack of work/life balance was worth it. Only thing I learned was to not send younger DC to a big 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How did you not know this when you decided to have your child attend this school? You literally signed up for this and could have easily avoided it. Not sure why you’re asking for things to change now.

+1

Sounds like bragging-complaining. Ohhh, the trip to Paris was soooo long. And my hair got missed in the plane!!

You signed up for this school. If you hate it, move to a new school.

No one here will feel sorry for your kid attending at $60k or $70k year high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How did you not know this when you decided to have your child attend this school? You literally signed up for this and could have easily avoided it. Not sure why you’re asking for things to change now.

I don't think you can fully understand it (or any school) until you experience it. sure, we heard "school is rigorous". We did not know "in some courses, no As will be given" or "the course grading will be curved to give 2 As out of 20". That is what we've seen happen and that wasn't even anywhere on our radar to ask when touring high schools. Our younger kid saw this go down at our house and prior to 9th grade literally told us, "uh, thanks but no thanks--no way am I signing up for that"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did you not know this when you decided to have your child attend this school? You literally signed up for this and could have easily avoided it. Not sure why you’re asking for things to change now.

I don't think you can fully understand it (or any school) until you experience it. sure, we heard "school is rigorous". We did not know "in some courses, no As will be given" or "the course grading will be curved to give 2 As out of 20". That is what we've seen happen and that wasn't even anywhere on our radar to ask when touring high schools. Our younger kid saw this go down at our house and prior to 9th grade literally told us, "uh, thanks but no thanks--no way am I signing up for that"

Does that actually happen? How awful and unfair if it does. I would be frustrated too OP. I hope your kid ends up with the grades to have their pick of college and then can relax and enjoy life.

[Anonymous]

I don't think this person is humble bragging. And I think it's reasonable to expect that if your kid gets in for 9th grade, they are not going to spend junior year battling against 65s and 75s. I have the sinking feeling my kid goes to this school, and it makes me sad to think what's ahead, but like you, no one telegraphed this to me. I guess it's a lesson in finding balance in life, but it's too bad it has to come so early, and with the potential threat of a demoralizing grade after a mere 3, instead of 4, hours of work.