Do you care about how semester grades will show up on your kids' transcript? Email the BOE ASAP

[Anonymous]

Give kids choice. This is such an easy decision

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give kids choice. This is such an easy decision

If it really were such an easy decision, this thread wouldn't be 9 pages and continuing.

[Anonymous]

The thread is 9 pages because people are coming here to argue about whether gifted kids are highly sensitive or some other diversions. If there's a good reason why MCPS students -- esp those in HS -- should NOT have the option for their grades to count, please explain.

One fewer semester of grades for HS kids means that every existing grade is more heavily weighted for their college application. Should a screw-up in middle school or freshman year count more than a half-year of AP and honors classes as a junior?

And if you're really worried about grade inflation, go over to the private school forum and read about it there - basically privates are counting grades unless they have dropped since school went remote. In other words, As for everyone! Those are the kids who will be competing for college admissions with MCPS students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thread is 9 pages because people are coming here to argue about whether gifted kids are highly sensitive or some other diversions. If there's a good reason why MCPS students -- esp those in HS -- should NOT have the option for their grades to count, please explain.

One fewer semester of grades for HS kids means that every existing grade is more heavily weighted for their college application. Should a screw-up in middle school or freshman year count more than a half-year of AP and honors classes as a junior?

And if you're really worried about grade inflation, go over to the private school forum and read about it there - basically privates are counting grades unless they have dropped since school went remote. In other words, As for everyone! Those are the kids who will be competing for college admissions with MCPS students.

It's all the same argument - Haves vs. Have Nots. If you have an A, you want a choice. If you have money and your life was not so disrupted, you want a choice. If you have health and were able to work on your school work/help your kids though the transition, you want a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thread is 9 pages because people are coming here to argue about whether gifted kids are highly sensitive or some other diversions. If there's a good reason why MCPS students -- esp those in HS -- should NOT have the option for their grades to count, please explain.

One fewer semester of grades for HS kids means that every existing grade is more heavily weighted for their college application. Should a screw-up in middle school or freshman year count more than a half-year of AP and honors classes as a junior?

And if you're really worried about grade inflation, go over to the private school forum and read about it there - basically privates are counting grades unless they have dropped since school went remote. In other words, As for everyone! Those are the kids who will be competing for college admissions with MCPS students.

It's all the same argument - Haves vs. Have Nots. If you have an A, you want a choice. If you have money and your life was not so disrupted, you want a choice. If you have health and were able to work on your school work/help your kids though the transition, you want a choice.

Such a predictable response, which is meant to be sympathetic to the have-nots but is actually subtly demeaning. Believe it or not, PP, lots of have-nots get As too. Lots of kids of immigrants - which my kids are - work hard even when life is disrupted.

And no one is arguing that all grades should be mandatory - families should have a choice between pass/fail and a letter grade because, yes, some students have faced new obstacles.

But frankly, the differences in environment have always existed. Some kids have tutors or parents who can help them study, while other kids are babysitting their siblings so that a single parent can work a double-shift. We don't insist that those disparities discount individual grades. And MCPS shouldn't be insisting on throwing out the accomplishments of those who have been able to continue with their education just because others have not been able to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thread is 9 pages because people are coming here to argue about whether gifted kids are highly sensitive or some other diversions. If there's a good reason why MCPS students -- esp those in HS -- should NOT have the option for their grades to count, please explain.

One fewer semester of grades for HS kids means that every existing grade is more heavily weighted for their college application. Should a screw-up in middle school or freshman year count more than a half-year of AP and honors classes as a junior?

And if you're really worried about grade inflation, go over to the private school forum and read about it there - basically privates are counting grades unless they have dropped since school went remote. In other words, As for everyone! Those are the kids who will be competing for college admissions with MCPS students.

Here is your one reason - Cheating! - MCPS went from in-person to online before Q3 ended. I know for a fact that students were given tests/quizzes online in Q3 where a parent "helped" with a test in an AP class and in another situation where 10+ kids together worked out the quiz problems before submitting them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thread is 9 pages because people are coming here to argue about whether gifted kids are highly sensitive or some other diversions. If there's a good reason why MCPS students -- esp those in HS -- should NOT have the option for their grades to count, please explain.

One fewer semester of grades for HS kids means that every existing grade is more heavily weighted for their college application. Should a screw-up in middle school or freshman year count more than a half-year of AP and honors classes as a junior?

And if you're really worried about grade inflation, go over to the private school forum and read about it there - basically privates are counting grades unless they have dropped since school went remote. In other words, As for everyone! Those are the kids who will be competing for college admissions with MCPS students.

It's all the same argument - Haves vs. Have Nots. If you have an A, you want a choice. If you have money and your life was not so disrupted, you want a choice. If you have health and were able to work on your school work/help your kids though the transition, you want a choice.

Such a predictable response, which is meant to be sympathetic to the have-nots but is actually subtly demeaning. Believe it or not, PP, lots of have-nots get As too. Lots of kids of immigrants - which my kids are - work hard even when life is disrupted.

And no one is arguing that all grades should be mandatory - families should have a choice between pass/fail and a letter grade because, yes, some students have faced new obstacles.

But frankly, the differences in environment have always existed. Some kids have tutors or parents who can help them study, while other kids are babysitting their siblings so that a single parent can work a double-shift. We don't insist that those disparities discount individual grades. And MCPS shouldn't be insisting on throwing out the accomplishments of those who have been able to continue with their education just because others have not been able to do so.

You missed the point, the "haves" were not meant to indicate a wealth category, just a selfish one. No one is asking for choice to make HS grades to count, if they weren't As (or siginficantly better than the prior grades). And everyone else will get pass and it's fine with those people, even if it puts them at a disadvantage. If we as a district care about grades "counting," above other interests in play I'm with the Howard County approach - give everyone an A who does the work in the 4th quarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thread is 9 pages because people are coming here to argue about whether gifted kids are highly sensitive or some other diversions. If there's a good reason why MCPS students -- esp those in HS -- should NOT have the option for their grades to count, please explain.

One fewer semester of grades for HS kids means that every existing grade is more heavily weighted for their college application. Should a screw-up in middle school or freshman year count more than a half-year of AP and honors classes as a junior?

And if you're really worried about grade inflation, go over to the private school forum and read about it there - basically privates are counting grades unless they have dropped since school went remote. In other words, As for everyone! Those are the kids who will be competing for college admissions with MCPS students.

Here is your one reason - Cheating! - MCPS went from in-person to online before Q3 ended. I know for a fact that students were given tests/quizzes online in Q3 where a parent "helped" with a test in an AP class and in another situation where 10+ kids together worked out the quiz problems before submitting them.

Kids cheat in person school too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thread is 9 pages because people are coming here to argue about whether gifted kids are highly sensitive or some other diversions. If there's a good reason why MCPS students -- esp those in HS -- should NOT have the option for their grades to count, please explain.

One fewer semester of grades for HS kids means that every existing grade is more heavily weighted for their college application. Should a screw-up in middle school or freshman year count more than a half-year of AP and honors classes as a junior?

And if you're really worried about grade inflation, go over to the private school forum and read about it there - basically privates are counting grades unless they have dropped since school went remote. In other words, As for everyone! Those are the kids who will be competing for college admissions with MCPS students.

Here is your one reason - Cheating! - MCPS went from in-person to online before Q3 ended. I know for a fact that students were given tests/quizzes online in Q3 where a parent "helped" with a test in an AP class and in another situation where 10+ kids together worked out the quiz problems before submitting them.

Kids cheat in person school too.

It’s harder for them to do so in school and easier for teachers to monitor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Such a predictable response, which is meant to be sympathetic to the have-nots but is actually subtly demeaning. Believe it or not, PP, lots of have-nots get As too. Lots of kids of immigrants - which my kids are - work hard even when life is disrupted.

And no one is arguing that all grades should be mandatory - families should have a choice between pass/fail and a letter grade because, yes, some students have faced new obstacles.

But frankly, the differences in environment have always existed. Some kids have tutors or parents who can help them study, while other kids are babysitting their siblings so that a single parent can work a double-shift. We don't insist that those disparities discount individual grades. And MCPS shouldn't be insisting on throwing out the accomplishments of those who have been able to continue with their education just because others have not been able to do so.

MCPS is not throwing out the accomplishments. All that hard work and learning your kids did is still there.

[Anonymous]

I would prefer that everyone have to do the same thing. If one kid chooses to show her 3rd quarter grade and another student doesn't, it'll reflect poorly on the other student. So this "choice" will have repercussions beyond MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Here’s an article from today’s Post discussing various local options: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/montgomery-county-grades-coronavirus/2020/04/25/7bbfd8ce-7b3d-11ea-b6ff-597f170df8f8_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer that everyone have to do the same thing. If one kid chooses to show her 3rd quarter grade and another student doesn't, it'll reflect poorly on the other student. So this "choice" will have repercussions beyond MCPS.

People keep suggesting this, but I honestly don't see how/why it would. Especially if they add an asterisk to the transcript indicating this was from the COVID-19 time period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer that everyone have to do the same thing. If one kid chooses to show her 3rd quarter grade and another student doesn't, it'll reflect poorly on the other student. So this "choice" will have repercussions beyond MCPS.

People keep suggesting this, but I honestly don't see how/why it would. Especially if they add an asterisk to the transcript indicating this was from the COVID-19 time period.

Because if you had a choice, and you chose the don't-show-the-grade option, then obviously your grade was bad. Nobody who had a good grade is going to choose the P/F option.

[Anonymous]

MCPS is going do what they do - and honestly it's going to be fine.