Is this normal for a former public school students who just came to catholic high schools?

[Anonymous]

My kid is a former MCPS student, and at his old high school, he was a B+ / A- student. Well, after getting his report card, I see he is a straight B- / B student, with his best being a B+ in theology and an A- in English. This is concerning because humanities is his strong suit. Should I be concerned?

[Anonymous]

I Apologize for the grammar issues.

[Anonymous]

Normal. Catholic schools are generally more rigorous in the humanities and have higher standards for writing assignments compared to many public schools.

[Anonymous]

Have you looked at the details? Might be he got dinged for late or missing work, and wasn’t expecting that if he didn’t get marked down before. That could take you down a grade for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you looked at the details? Might be he got dinged for late or missing work, and wasn’t expecting that if he didn’t get marked down before. That could take you down a grade for sure.

This. Catholic schools are big on rule-following and consequences and that spills over into grading. Also their grading scale might be different. 93-100 is an A, 92-85 is a B, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a former MCPS student, and at his old high school, he was a B+ / A- student. Well, after getting his report card, I see he is a straight B- / B student, with his best being a B+ in theology and an A- in English. This is concerning because humanities is his strong suit. Should I be concerned?

How is he a straight B-/B student if he has a B+ and an A-? It seems you’re exaggerating. Was this his very first quarter in a new school? He’s made a big transition. Not only is he learning the ropes at a different school with different expectations, but it’s a whole different curriculum. Don’t worry about grades just yet. Help him evaluate his performance to determine weaknesses. What can he improve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a former MCPS student, and at his old high school, he was a B+ / A- student. Well, after getting his report card, I see he is a straight B- / B student, with a B+and an A- . This is concerning because humanities is his strong suit. Should I be concerned?

I can see why he isn't doing well in math.

[Anonymous]

What were the standardized test scores before?

[Anonymous]

Freshman year was an adjustment for my DD but she figured it out by sophomore year and her grades improved. She definitely needed to up her game.

[Anonymous]

High school can be a big adjustment for kids in general and changing schools with different standards and expectations can add to that adjustment. Talk with teachers (they are happy to do that!) if you are truly concerned, but also strongly encourage your student to talk with teachers directly.

[Anonymous]

I'd recommend that you go through the syllabus with your son and make sure he has a good understanding of how his grades are calculated. Then he should take individual assignments to his teachers and ask them what he needs to do to improve in the future.

[Anonymous]

Yup. transitions are rough. going to high school and private school compounds the problem. The expectations tend to be higher, but also tend to be clear. and the grading scale you are used to may have shifted. Look to make sure that you are making due dates, doing homework/reading assignments every day, and see if grammar is a problem. Make a calendar for assignments.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids that attended Catholic high schools. Kid #1 came from an MCPS middle school. Kid #2 came from a K-8 parish school. Kid #1 was very well prepared for math but initially struggled in English and keeping up with the demands in general. Kid #2 was well prepared for everything and was especially more accountable for from the get go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a former MCPS student, and at his old high school, he was a B+ / A- student. Well, after getting his report card, I see he is a straight B- / B student, with his best being a B+ in theology and an A- in English. This is concerning because humanities is his strong suit. Should I be concerned?

How is he a straight B-/B student if he has a B+ and an A-? It seems you’re exaggerating. Was this his very first quarter in a new school? He’s made a big transition. Not only is he learning the ropes at a different school with different expectations, but it’s a whole different curriculum. Don’t worry about grades just yet. Help him evaluate his performance to determine weaknesses. What can he improve?

Yes it’s his very first quarter he’s been in public schools all his life before this his math skills are Kinda weak so I might give him extra help.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the advice it really helps!