Explain how grades are inflated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear--so if a kid gets in the four marking periods:
A, B, A, B--all that shows on a transcript is A,A?

Yes

How does that translate into a GPA calculation? Each marking period has its own "marking period average (for middle school anyway). So mathematically, if Child X gets All As in marking periods 1 and 3 (4.0), and all Bs in marking periods 2 and 4 (3.0), wouldn't the GPA for the year average to 3.5?

The report cards show a GPA for each quarter, but that doesn’t go on the transcript. Only the semester grades go on the transcript. If your AP COURSE A/B is quarter grades ABAB, the quarter GPA Calc factors in 4/3/4/3, but the semester grades are A/A and transcript GPA factor is 4/4 with WGPA 5/5.

Almost all MCPS courses are 0.5 credits per semester (1.0 for the year), but each semester is included in GPA. There isn’t a separate grade for the entire year on the transcript. Courses taken through dual enrollment at MC are 1.0 credit for one semester. That grade transfers over to the transcript and is factored into GPA too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see an item on the board's agenda for Thursday is "Grading and Reporting Regulation Revisions." Anyone have any clues about what that will be?

Looks like they're proposing changing the final grade calculations beginning with next year's 9th graders. But no specifics yet. Guess we'll have to tune in Thursday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear--so if a kid gets in the four marking periods:
A, B, A, B--all that shows on a transcript is A,A?

Yes

How does that translate into a GPA calculation? Each marking period has its own "marking period average (for middle school anyway). So mathematically, if Child X gets All As in marking periods 1 and 3 (4.0), and all Bs in marking periods 2 and 4 (3.0), wouldn't the GPA for the year average to 3.5?

The report cards show a GPA for each quarter, but that doesn’t go on the transcript. Only the semester grades go on the transcript. If your AP COURSE A/B is quarter grades ABAB, the quarter GPA Calc factors in 4/3/4/3, but the semester grades are A/A and transcript GPA factor is 4/4 with WGPA 5/5.

Almost all MCPS courses are 0.5 credits per semester (1.0 for the year), but each semester is included in GPA. There isn’t a separate grade for the entire year on the transcript. Courses taken through dual enrollment at MC are 1.0 credit for one semester. That grade transfers over to the transcript and is factored into GPA too.

Oh my. No wonder so many kids get 4.0s. So my kid who got straight As in MP3 can coast now because as long as they pull a B in each class they’ll have a 4.0 for the semester.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear--so if a kid gets in the four marking periods:
A, B, A, B--all that shows on a transcript is A,A?

Yes

How does that translate into a GPA calculation? Each marking period has its own "marking period average (for middle school anyway). So mathematically, if Child X gets All As in marking periods 1 and 3 (4.0), and all Bs in marking periods 2 and 4 (3.0), wouldn't the GPA for the year average to 3.5?

The report cards show a GPA for each quarter, but that doesn’t go on the transcript. Only the semester grades go on the transcript. If your AP COURSE A/B is quarter grades ABAB, the quarter GPA Calc factors in 4/3/4/3, but the semester grades are A/A and transcript GPA factor is 4/4 with WGPA 5/5.

Almost all MCPS courses are 0.5 credits per semester (1.0 for the year), but each semester is included in GPA. There isn’t a separate grade for the entire year on the transcript. Courses taken through dual enrollment at MC are 1.0 credit for one semester. That grade transfers over to the transcript and is factored into GPA too.

Oh my. No wonder so many kids get 4.0s. So my kid who got straight As in MP3 can coast now because as long as they pull a B in each class they’ll have a 4.0 for the semester.

Yup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear--so if a kid gets in the four marking periods:
A, B, A, B--all that shows on a transcript is A,A?

Yes

How does that translate into a GPA calculation? Each marking period has its own "marking period average (for middle school anyway). So mathematically, if Child X gets All As in marking periods 1 and 3 (4.0), and all Bs in marking periods 2 and 4 (3.0), wouldn't the GPA for the year average to 3.5?

The report cards show a GPA for each quarter, but that doesn’t go on the transcript. Only the semester grades go on the transcript. If your AP COURSE A/B is quarter grades ABAB, the quarter GPA Calc factors in 4/3/4/3, but the semester grades are A/A and transcript GPA factor is 4/4 with WGPA 5/5.

Almost all MCPS courses are 0.5 credits per semester (1.0 for the year), but each semester is included in GPA. There isn’t a separate grade for the entire year on the transcript. Courses taken through dual enrollment at MC are 1.0 credit for one semester. That grade transfers over to the transcript and is factored into GPA too.

Oh my. No wonder so many kids get 4.0s. So my kid who got straight As in MP3 can coast now because as long as they pull a B in each class they’ll have a 4.0 for the semester.

Yes, and students are aware of this. The one they like the most is C+E = D because if they earn a C for Q1 or Q3, they can do nothing the following quarter and still earn credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear--so if a kid gets in the four marking periods:
A, B, A, B--all that shows on a transcript is A,A?

Yes

How does that translate into a GPA calculation? Each marking period has its own "marking period average (for middle school anyway). So mathematically, if Child X gets All As in marking periods 1 and 3 (4.0), and all Bs in marking periods 2 and 4 (3.0), wouldn't the GPA for the year average to 3.5?

The report cards show a GPA for each quarter, but that doesn’t go on the transcript. Only the semester grades go on the transcript. If your AP COURSE A/B is quarter grades ABAB, the quarter GPA Calc factors in 4/3/4/3, but the semester grades are A/A and transcript GPA factor is 4/4 with WGPA 5/5.

Almost all MCPS courses are 0.5 credits per semester (1.0 for the year), but each semester is included in GPA. There isn’t a separate grade for the entire year on the transcript. Courses taken through dual enrollment at MC are 1.0 credit for one semester. That grade transfers over to the transcript and is factored into GPA too.

Oh my. No wonder so many kids get 4.0s. So my kid who got straight As in MP3 can coast now because as long as they pull a B in each class they’ll have a 4.0 for the semester.

Yes, and students are aware of this. The one they like the most is C+E = D because if they earn a C for Q1 or Q3, they can do nothing the following quarter and still earn credit.

lol - really? kids like a D?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear--so if a kid gets in the four marking periods:
A, B, A, B--all that shows on a transcript is A,A?

Yes

How does that translate into a GPA calculation? Each marking period has its own "marking period average (for middle school anyway). So mathematically, if Child X gets All As in marking periods 1 and 3 (4.0), and all Bs in marking periods 2 and 4 (3.0), wouldn't the GPA for the year average to 3.5?

The report cards show a GPA for each quarter, but that doesn’t go on the transcript. Only the semester grades go on the transcript. If your AP COURSE A/B is quarter grades ABAB, the quarter GPA Calc factors in 4/3/4/3, but the semester grades are A/A and transcript GPA factor is 4/4 with WGPA 5/5.

Almost all MCPS courses are 0.5 credits per semester (1.0 for the year), but each semester is included in GPA. There isn’t a separate grade for the entire year on the transcript. Courses taken through dual enrollment at MC are 1.0 credit for one semester. That grade transfers over to the transcript and is factored into GPA too.

Oh my. No wonder so many kids get 4.0s. So my kid who got straight As in MP3 can coast now because as long as they pull a B in each class they’ll have a 4.0 for the semester.

Yes, and students are aware of this. The one they like the most is C+E = D because if they earn a C for Q1 or Q3, they can do nothing the following quarter and still earn credit.

lol - really? kids like a D?

You'd be surprised - contrary to the average demographics of this board (DS says kid got 350 on MAP-M, my kid only got 340!), most students (especially in the lower socioeconomic areas) don't care.

[Anonymous]

I'm really curious what they are proposing to change.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like the presentation on grading and reporting this Thursday is a nothingburger. It sounds like they are just announcing they will be soliciting input and considering possible changes.

I hope they will move to averaging the actual percentage earned each marking period for a final grade, and adding plus/minus. Grades would become more meaningful and better reflect level of course mastery. I also think it would take away the race to have as many APs and IB courses as possible. Right now, grade inflation is such that that's the main way students distinguish themselves. With grades that better reflect mastery, they wouldn't have to do that as much.

Here are the docs they are presenting to the BOE this week:
presentation: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DFHRPN6EFA43/$file/Grading%20and%20Reporting%20Regulation%20Revision%20250410%20PPT%20REV.pdf

memo: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DFCL3R529256/$file/New%20Business%20Item_250318%20Community%20Engagement%20and%20School%20Safety.pdf

[Anonymous]

It is very challenging to get an A or A+ in my daughter's private school, especially in AP classes. A typical MCPS student getting As could very well be a B+ to A- student in our private. Here is the grading scale:

A+ 97-100
A 93-96
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D 65-69

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is very challenging to get an A or A+ in my daughter's private school, especially in AP classes. A typical MCPS student getting As could very well be a B+ to A- student in our private. Here is the grading scale:

A+ 97-100
A 93-96
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D 65-69

Meant to add, the school only grades on a semester level, so no blending of two quarters and playing that game of B plus A equals A. You get what you get for the semester...very similar to how it is done in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is very challenging to get an A or A+ in my daughter's private school, especially in AP classes. A typical MCPS student getting As could very well be a B+ to A- student in our private. Here is the grading scale:

A+ 97-100
A 93-96
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D 65-69

Meant to add, the school only grades on a semester level, so no blending of two quarters and playing that game of B plus A equals A. You get what you get for the semester...very similar to how it is done in college.

That's not exclusive to private schools. I have family in NY, and those schools have always had +/- grading and none of this "marking period averaging" stuff where an A and B becomes a semester A. A friend came back from touring MIT and was told, they don't care about anything in admissions except SAT/ACT test scores, and AP scores. Everything else can be manipulated by a teacher whose rigor is unknown (especially in private schools where you pay 40K a year).

[Anonymous]

Here some teachers math for you. An English teacher assigns an essay. When she grades the essay it takes 15 min to grade 1 student. She has 30 students per class and 5 classes. 15 x 30 x 5 = 2250 then ÷ by 60 mon in an hour. It takes 37 hours to grade one assignment. Put that on top of 8 hours per day infront of students and in meetings, plc, pta, chaperoning dances and sporting events, subbing and covering shortages. Admin wants up to work double unpaid overtime. The stress is so unhealthy and put on top of that the grade inflation fraud pressure and violence coverups. Hey good luck bringing in fired govt workers because I don't think they have what it takes to be teachers as admin has an "any idiot can be a teacher mindset".. who's down for a good old fashion class action lawsuit !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here some teachers math for you. An English teacher assigns an essay. When she grades the essay it takes 15 min to grade 1 student. She has 30 students per class and 5 classes. 15 x 30 x 5 = 2250 then ÷ by 60 mon in an hour. It takes 37 hours to grade one assignment. Put that on top of 8 hours per day infront of students and in meetings, plc, pta, chaperoning dances and sporting events, subbing and covering shortages. Admin wants up to work double unpaid overtime. The stress is so unhealthy and put on top of that the grade inflation fraud pressure and violence coverups. Hey good luck bringing in fired govt workers because I don't think they have what it takes to be teachers as admin has an "any idiot can be a teacher mindset".. who's down for a good old fashion class action lawsuit !

Go for it!

[Anonymous]

A+ 97-100
A 93-96
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D 65-69

NP - this is similar scale for private school for our one kid (other in MCPS) . For semester grade it’s calculated with 40% Q1,40% Q2, and 20% exam.

Agree ACT /SAT are starting to weigh more at colleges. My understanding is that APs are self reported in application system as of now but will not be surprised if that changes soon

Many privates publish AP average scores and focus scores in4/5 range. Seems in MCPS you can only find number achieved 3 and above which isn’t the same.