Grade Inflation...but what should the grades be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know but I do know you shouldn’t be able to get an A (not even an A-) by earning a 79 first quarter and an 89 second quarter which is the case at MCPS high schools.

Ridiculous.

An 84 will really get you an A- for the semester? No wonder colleges have to use their own gpa calculations.

I am not sure you are following: MCPS doesn’t average a 79 and 89 to 84. MCPS gives the kid a flat A on your transcript with a 79 and 89 for two quarters. So colleges never see anything but the flat A, and since MCPS offers so many AP classes these kids often get an additional bump in any recalculated GPA by a college. It was all laid out in Bethesda Magazine a while back.

You are correct. I’m not following, and I’m not at all familiar with the Montgomery County school system. Where the heck does an A start in MCPS?

Okay. I did my homework and found the article. So after a (very quick) read, what I am understanding is that since 79 could be rounded to 80 (B) and 89 rounded to 90 (A) the average of a letter grade B and a letter grade A would be an A-? Yikes.

Almost Correct: only it wouldn’t be an A- it would a flat A (bc MCPS doesn’t give minuses). And, MCPS does not provide quarter grades on transcripts so that “A” is all colleges see even if quarter grades were a technically a C and B.

[Anonymous]

2.5 to 2.7 should be the average GPA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know but I do know you shouldn’t be able to get an A (not even an A-) by earning a 79 first quarter and an 89 second quarter which is the case at MCPS high schools.

Ridiculous.

An 84 will really get you an A- for the semester? No wonder colleges have to use their own gpa calculations.

I am not sure you are following: MCPS doesn’t average a 79 and 89 to 84. MCPS gives the kid a flat A on your transcript with a 79 and 89 for two quarters. So colleges never see anything but the flat A, and since MCPS offers so many AP classes these kids often get an additional bump in any recalculated GPA by a college. It was all laid out in Bethesda Magazine a while back.

You are correct. I’m not following, and I’m not at all familiar with the Montgomery County school system. Where the heck does an A start in MCPS?

Okay. I did my homework and found the article. So after a (very quick) read, what I am understanding is that since 79 could be rounded to 80 (B) and 89 rounded to 90 (A) the average of a letter grade B and a letter grade A would be an A-? Yikes.

Close. No A-, so it’s just an A

[Anonymous]

A=90+, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69. Assignments/tests should be of sufficient difficulty so that midpoint is in the 75 range.

No more + and - grades or participation trophy grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2.5 to 2.7 should be the average GPA.

Good luck getting into any grad school with that

[Anonymous]

Go back to 100 point reported scale with no weight for AP/honors/IB. Colleges already review rigor separately anyway, which rewards kids for the number of honors-type classes as well taking advanced topics. Kids should take the honors classes bc they are interested not for grade point building.

Also, this system gives kid an incentive to take interesting electives as they are given equal weight since no bump for honors and also rewards kids for having other interests bc, imo, harder to get good grades if filling study halls with music, arts or other electives. Again, colleges have minimum core class requirements to ensure they are getting kids with the appropriate academic foundation.

This would be the most transparent way to go, imo.

[Anonymous]

The OP asked about the average GPA in college not high school.

All the posters above are flat out wrong about MCPS grading policy.

[Anonymous]

There's no need to force a certain midpoint.

We just need a return to sanity, where you take a test once. No endless retakes. Some kids get an A, lots of kids get Bs, some kids get Cs and Ds. You want a better grade, you study harder next time.

Parents and kids learn to accept feedback again. Colleges stop talking as if you can't get in unless you have over a 4.0.

I feel like this will never happen.