is grade deflation really hurting college admissions this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an issue with grade deflation at Sidwell or GDS?
If not, that further disadvantages NCS when its graduates are compared to graduates of other top DC privates.

NCS has a higher percentage of is graduates going to Ivies that either of those schools. Look at the stats. After ivies they have a larger number going in the top 20 in top 30 then either of those schools as well.

This doesn’t answer my question. Is grade deflation a problem at Sidwell and GDS?

At least at Sidwell, there is huge grade deflation. At least NCS has started to have a weighted GPA to even things out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

They can’t name it because it only exists as a boogeyman.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I didn’t read all of the responses but I found it interesting that the two schools my don was deferred at for EA were in-state schools. Neither one is known for a low admissions rate either. I guess his 3.3 just can’t measure up against the high and super high GPAs. Those schools were his safety schools so it’s not a big deal but just surprising.

3.3 is low, for public and private.

It is absolutely not low at NCS. Most of my daughters friends are right around 3.0-3.4

+1 different school. But, the PP's belief that it is is precisely what these kids are up against. They don't fully get that a B in AP Physics C is calculated as a 2.7 (whereas on the public school scale that 2.7 looks like a C-), and missing an A by .2 gets you a 3.3 for that class (whereas in other schools, that likely would have been made an A one way or the other, probably rounded up, but also a 3.3 is a C+ in a AP level course, not a just barely missed an A by the skin of your teeth in a very hard AP class). This is what posters mean by grade inflation/deflation. The exact same performance (not even considering the different standards) get vastly different grades. Not a problem when ADs take actually look at the classes and grading scale and recalculate -- but not all schools do that given the volume of applications they get these days and many use an AI cut.

This is where you are applying heavily to the schools that your counselor says "know your school." But not all schools do, no matter where you go. So you need to follow the counselor's lead and hope you land at a good fit. Also remember that the schools ranked even in the low 100s are excellent and produce leaders. Strong kids can get an excellent education and succeed anywhere.

This is very confusing and I think I'd rather not know this much. I do know that in my kid's AP calculus BC class there were NO As (of any variety) given in the first quarter and quite a few Cs. 🤪 (announced by the teacher) The tests have gotten harder and grades have gone down.

It is ridiculous that in a Calculus BC class there are no A’s. Only students who are good at math are taking BC. Everyone else is taking Calculus AB or stats or just going up to pre-calculus. What this teacher hs doing us ruining the chances of students in this class not getting accepted into STEM majors because it is assumed that stem majors should be getting an A calculus BC . It’s the reason why calculus BC has one if the highest rates of students getting a 5 on the AP test- over 40% of test takers get a 5.

Yes, it's frustrating. My kid just got a perfect math PSAT but there has not been a student who has scored above an 89 on an exam in this class. And of course there are no retakes. And my kid came from a highly public and had received course grades in the high 90s there (final grads of 98%, etc)

Have you asked the admin about it? Really by calculus BC 50- 75% of students should be getting A’s on tests if the class is being taught well. I would ask the school for more information because it is a very poor reflection on the math program at that school if no one is getting an A. Of course it is most likely that teacher but the school probably won’t admit that.

Some private schools have very difficult upper level math. These kids will score 5s on the AP but barely eke out an A or B+ in the class. The teachers just wrote unreasonable exams. It’s a very dumb way to test knowledge but it is what it is.

So none of you have discussed this with US admin? This has been the situation for years. What exactly do you think will change if you aren’t willing to address it?

What makes you think it hasn’t been discussed? The schools back their teachers.

Then the PP is right: you knew going in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

They can’t name it because it only exists as a boogeyman.

No, this is pretty much every high school in Loudoun County and most of Fairfax County.

[Anonymous]

There is a reason why colleges and universities have regional admissions representatives - so they are familiar with all the local schools in a certain area.
They understand the difference between NCS, Sidwell, GDS and Whitman, Wilson, TJ, etc.
Even large state schools have regional representatives. I don’t have a daughter at NCS. My kids go to the Potomac school but my feeling is that y’all are whining about nothing. Wait for all the regular decision results to come out and everyone will suddenly be oohing and aahing about the impressive admission results from NCS. This is a familiar pattern on here every year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an issue with grade deflation at Sidwell or GDS?
If not, that further disadvantages NCS when its graduates are compared to graduates of other top DC privates.

NCS has a higher percentage of is graduates going to Ivies that either of those schools. Look at the stats. After ivies they have a larger number going in the top 20 in top 30 then either of those schools as well.

This doesn’t answer my question. Is grade deflation a problem at Sidwell and GDS?

At least at Sidwell, there is huge grade deflation. At least NCS has started to have a weighted GPA to even things out.

NCS does not have a weighted GPA. Current parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

They can’t name it because it only exists as a boogeyman.

No, this is pretty much every high school in Loudoun County and most of Fairfax County.

Then you’ll have no problem naming a single school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a reason why colleges and universities have regional admissions representatives - so they are familiar with all the local schools in a certain area.
They understand the difference between NCS, Sidwell, GDS and Whitman, Wilson, TJ, etc.
Even large state schools have regional representatives. I don’t have a daughter at NCS. My kids go to the Potomac school but my feeling is that y’all are whining about nothing. Wait for all the regular decision results to come out and everyone will suddenly be oohing and aahing about the impressive admission results from NCS. This is a familiar pattern on here every year

Those schools may know, whether or not they care is an entirely different question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

They can’t name it because it only exists as a boogeyman.

No, this is pretty much every high school in Loudoun County and most of Fairfax County.

Then you’ll have no problem naming a single school

Not the PP, but Langley for starters. When my DS graduated 60 out of 450 graduates were Valedictorians. Now it's more like half of the entire class. It's absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a reason why colleges and universities have regional admissions representatives - so they are familiar with all the local schools in a certain area.
They understand the difference between NCS, Sidwell, GDS and Whitman, Wilson, TJ, etc.
Even large state schools have regional representatives. I don’t have a daughter at NCS. My kids go to the Potomac school but my feeling is that y’all are whining about nothing. Wait for all the regular decision results to come out and everyone will suddenly be oohing and aahing about the impressive admission results from NCS. This is a familiar pattern on here every year

Newsflash not every college admissions staff person has a lot of experience. Smaller colleges who get few applicants from a particular school need all the help they can get understanding the curriculum. No AP, no SAT, no class rank, no honors makes it pretty hard. All you can offer is "see where prior graduates go? we should get in to your school"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

They can’t name it because it only exists as a boogeyman.

No, this is pretty much every high school in Loudoun County and most of Fairfax County.

Then you’ll have no problem naming a single school

Not the PP, but Langley for starters. When my DS graduated 60 out of 450 graduates were Valedictorians. Now it's more like half of the entire class. It's absurd.

FCPS no longer has valedictorians

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

They can’t name it because it only exists as a boogeyman.

No, this is pretty much every high school in Loudoun County and most of Fairfax County.

Then you’ll have no problem naming a single school

Not the PP, but Langley for starters. When my DS graduated 60 out of 450 graduates were Valedictorians. Now it's more like half of the entire class. It's absurd.

FCPS no longer has valedictorians

Because there would be so many of them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

Does it matter? Can you answer the question asked? What do you call it when a significant portion of the graduating class is above a 4.0? Is it not grade inflation? What else do you call that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

Does it matter? Can you answer the question asked? What do you call it when a significant portion of the graduating class is above a 4.0? Is it not grade inflation? What else do you call that?

I’d call it your fever dream and your pathetic excuse for why your kid got rejected from UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only rule about grade inflation is that it’s happening at every school but your own kid’s.

What on earth else do you call it when over 50% of a graduating class has above a 4.0 and there are literally hundreds of valedictorians? I’m asking seriously. Do you think that is NOT grade inflation somehow? What else could it be?

Which school?

Does it matter? Can you answer the question asked? What do you call it when a significant portion of the graduating class is above a 4.0? Is it not grade inflation? What else do you call that?

I’d call it a weighted GPA, actually. I’d reserve “grade inflation” for when the school curves to an A- instead of a B. Conflating these two things is leading you into a lot of analytic confusion.