What exactly goes on the transcript that goes to college?

[Anonymous]

We're in MCPS and my oldest is a freshman. I think he bit off more than he can chew academically, and he's struggling with grades in several classes. I'm wondering how quickly we need to turn this around. Will colleges see the quarter grades, or should we be focused on getting them up by the semester, because that's all they see?

Also, does anyone know how it appears on a transcript if a student drops from honors to on level in a class (in this case Biology), at the quarter or semester? What exactly appears on transcript, and what do colleges think about that.

[Anonymous]

Hi, MCPS teacher here. Student transcripts contain just the semester grades, so you still have time to get the grade up. We are right around the 25th day of school, however - meaning that a student withdrawing from a course will have a withdrawal grade on the transcript (if you withdraw before, then the transcript will look as if the student had been in the new course since the beginning).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, MCPS teacher here. Student transcripts contain just the semester grades, so you still have time to get the grade up. We are right around the 25th day of school, however - meaning that a student withdrawing from a course will have a withdrawal grade on the transcript (if you withdraw before, then the transcript will look as if the student had been in the new course since the beginning).

Thanks! What if he withdraws at the semester? Would it just list him as taking 2 different classes? Hon Bio A, and Bio B?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi, MCPS teacher here. Student transcripts contain just the semester grades, so you still have time to get the grade up. We are right around the 25th day of school, however - meaning that a student withdrawing from a course will have a withdrawal grade on the transcript (if you withdraw before, then the transcript will look as if the student had been in the new course since the beginning).

Thanks! What if he withdraws at the semester? Would it just list him as taking 2 different classes? Hon Bio A, and Bio B?

yes.

[Anonymous]

If you change now, it would just reflect the class you changed tp in the semester grades.

[Anonymous]

Yes, just the semester grade shows on the college transcript. Perhaps the MoCo teacher can explain better than I can, but the second quarter gets more weight than the first. So if Q1 is a B but Q2 is an A, then he gets an A for the semester and that's what the colleges see. Of course this can work against you if grades go in the other direction. If there's a semester final exam, this may also get a large amount if weight (which is good if it's a standard county exam, because these tend to be easy, but could be difficult otherwise).

As I say, the weighting has never been completely clear to me, and my oldest has gone all the way through MoCo HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, just the semester grade shows on the college transcript. Perhaps the MoCo teacher can explain better than I can, but the second quarter gets more weight than the first. So if Q1 is a B but Q2 is an A, then he gets an A for the semester and that's what the colleges see. Of course this can work against you if grades go in the other direction. If there's a semester final exam, this may also get a large amount if weight (which is good if it's a standard county exam, because these tend to be easy, but could be difficult otherwise).

As I say, the weighting has never been completely clear to me, and my oldest has gone all the way through MoCo HS.

There is a grading schedule on the MCPS website somewhere that lays that all out. I am not sure the 2nd quarter is more heavily weighted. The final is, I think, 20%? There are a million permutations of AAB=A, ABA=A, etc. Easy rule of thumb is 2 out of 3 determines the grade (2 Bs and one A is a B). There is nearly always a final exam or a final exam equivalent (that latter more common in the spring semester for AP classes). Teachers have some latitude on grades - my DC benefited from this once (the teacher was able to give a final grade off the grading schedule).

I just got a copy of DCs college transcript. It shows the grade for each semester for each class, whether it was an on track, hon or adv (AP and some honors seem to be adv), and the cumulative weighted and unweighted GPA for each year. Hon and Adv classes are weighted classes and get an extra point.