MS grades on HS transcript

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMHO,
If your kid does not get an "A" in the HS credit course taken in MS, you should just not take the Semester exams and get that completely wiped out from the transcript.

Why start HS with a bad grade that will ensure that you will never have a 4.0?

So how do you know that the child will or will not get an A? When is the Semester exam given?

Sorry for these simplistic questions- I have a 5th grader.

OK. Here is a 101 on how grades work and get reported in MS.

The academic year is divided into two semesters. Each of these two semesters have two quarters each. So Semester 1 is made of quarter 1 and 2 and Semester 2 is made of quarter 3 and quarter 4.

In MS, every grade - from tests, HW, projects etc, is posted on a website called Edline. A parent and student can go into the account of their student and see what their grades are. Most students and parents keep a track of how the student is doing by looking at the reports on edline.

Quarter grades are calculated based on hw, tests, projects etc. And Semester exam grades are calculated based on the exam.

Your final grade is calculated based on the two quarter grades as well as an end of semester exam. The Quarter grades are given a weightage of roughly 40% each. So, the two quarters will comprise roughly 80% of your final grade for that semester for that course. The semester exam is roughly 20% weightage. (Someone please chime in to tell the exact weight that the quarters and semester exam carry, because I do not remember)

Thus, if you get A in the first and second quarters, and get a C in the semester exam, you will still get an A in that course.

(Yeah, this is an odd grading system. And that is the reason Washington Post keeps running stories about how kids game the system and get A's on quarters but actually fail on Semester exams for Algebra, because they do not know their subject content.)

Here is the table which breaks it down for you...this is what is being used to game the system...

www.mccpta.com/resolutions/GradeConfigurationTable.pdf

FWIW, I don't actually consider this "gaming the system". IMO, if you got an A the first AND second quarters, you have shown you know the material and should get an A overall. Conversely, no one's perfect and if you slacked off or got sick or forgot something you should have a chance to bring your grade up on the final exam. I think it's perfectly rational for kids to weigh how much time and effort they have to put in to exams and decide NOT to put in effort on exams that won't change their overall final grade. That's a big life lesson -- where to focus your energy to have the maximum effect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMHO,
If your kid does not get an "A" in the HS credit course taken in MS, you should just not take the Semester exams and get that completely wiped out from the transcript.

Why start HS with a bad grade that will ensure that you will never have a 4.0?

How many kids graduate with a 4.0? Unless your kid has a 4.0 in MS, I would not make that a factor. Repeat algebra for a B and have one year less math overall? And for langauages as PP described you can not always repeat the segments? I don't consider a B a bad grade.

Not the PP, but my kid had fallen behind in a HS language course in 6th and had a C for awhile. After that I watched the grades on Edline like a hawk. If my kid had not brought the class grade up to an A before the semester exam, I would have pulled my kid out of class before the exam. I don't consider a B a fine grade, not if it means that three years later, in HS, my more mature kid might look back and rue that 3.0 on the HS transcript. My kid has since earned straight As. Why let an 11-year-old's carelessness end a high-schooler's aspirations for a 4.0 or better?

I think you are focusing on grades rather than learning. That small boost of a GPA might be over shadowed by ending up a year behind in math/language when college time comes.

My kid has no trouble learning, but is disorganized and doesn't always get the work turned in on time. Time management and responsibility have to be learned in MS (especially with the meaningless "P" system in ES), but if classes count for the HS GPA, it can be a steep learning curve for 6th graders. I wasn't a terribly mature 6th grader myself, but I ended up graduating top of my class, and I am glad I didn't have an 11-year-old me mucking up my chances in MS. Luckily, there's no falling behind if you drop a semester in language when you start in 6th grade. My kid would have moved from the 1A/1B class into the slower version.

So just a few months later in September he was able to handle a class that went 2x as fast...I would not count on that result for my child.

It was a lot of work on our part. The work was actually not hard for my kid -- it was just a huge battle to get my kid organized. I tell other parents this story as a cautionary tale about accelerating kids. My kid was in HGC, but disorganization is a huge problem. The transition to MS was very rocky because the demands are much higher in terms of discipline, and grades suddenly matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Starting a languarge in 6th grade and taking 8th grade algebra is not acceleration.

I would agree that taking algebra in 8th grade isn't "acceleration"...why that counts for HS credit is a mystery to me. And while taking 1A/1B language in 6th grade is starting a year early, I don't know why that counts for HS credit either. I took Spanish in 7th and 8th and that was never considered HS-creditworthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Starting a languarge in 6th grade and taking 8th grade algebra is not acceleration.

I would agree that taking algebra in 8th grade isn't "acceleration"...why that counts for HS credit is a mystery to me. And while taking 1A/1B language in 6th grade is starting a year early, I don't know why that counts for HS credit either. I took Spanish in 7th and 8th and that was never considered HS-creditworthy.

It counts for HS credit because it's the SAME class in HS and in MS. You get high school credit for Algebra if you are smart enough take it in MS or even ES. it's not my problem some kids aren't ready for Algebra until HS. If my pre-HS DC is smart enough to take a HS class, then DC deserves to get credit for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
No, B is not an acceptable grade when you are accelerating a child.

Are you for real? A bright child who gets a B in an accelerated class is ... unacceptable? To whom, exactly? (Besides you, of course.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMHO,
If your kid does not get an "A" in the HS credit course taken in MS, you should just not take the Semester exams and get that completely wiped out from the transcript.

Why start HS with a bad grade that will ensure that you will never have a 4.0?

So how do you know that the child will or will not get an A? When is the Semester exam given?

Sorry for these simplistic questions- I have a 5th grader.

OK. Here is a 101 on how grades work and get reported in MS.

The academic year is divided into two semesters. Each of these two semesters have two quarters each. So Semester 1 is made of quarter 1 and 2 and Semester 2 is made of quarter 3 and quarter 4.

In MS, every grade - from tests, HW, projects etc, is posted on a website called Edline. A parent and student can go into the account of their student and see what their grades are. Most students and parents keep a track of how the student is doing by looking at the reports on edline.

Quarter grades are calculated based on hw, tests, projects etc. And Semester exam grades are calculated based on the exam.

Your final grade is calculated based on the two quarter grades as well as an end of semester exam. The Quarter grades are given a weightage of roughly 40% each. So, the two quarters will comprise roughly 80% of your final grade for that semester for that course. The semester exam is roughly 20% weightage. (Someone please chime in to tell the exact weight that the quarters and semester exam carry, because I do not remember)

Thus, if you get A in the first and second quarters, and get a C in the semester exam, you will still get an A in that course.

(Yeah, this is an odd grading system. And that is the reason Washington Post keeps running stories about how kids game the system and get A's on quarters but actually fail on Semester exams for Algebra, because they do not know their subject content.)

Here is the table which breaks it down for you...this is what is being used to game the system...

www.mccpta.com/resolutions/GradeConfigurationTable.pdf

FWIW, I don't actually consider this "gaming the system". IMO, if you got an A the first AND second quarters, you have shown you know the material and should get an A overall. Conversely, no one's perfect and if you slacked off or got sick or forgot something you should have a chance to bring your grade up on the final exam. I think it's perfectly rational for kids to weigh how much time and effort they have to put in to exams and decide NOT to put in effort on exams that won't change their overall final grade. That's a big life lesson -- where to focus your energy to have the maximum effect.

Actually, if you got "A"s in two quarters and knew the subject matter well, you could do badly on a Semester exam, perhaps get a B or C in it, but not FAIL it. WaPo made the point that many students were FAILING the exams because their "A"s in the two quarters were not based on correct assessment of their content knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No, B is not an acceptable grade when you are accelerating a child.

Are you for real? A bright child who gets a B in an accelerated class is ... unacceptable? To whom, exactly? (Besides you, of course.)

A MS student taking a HS credit class and getting Bs and Cs in it is not exhibiting mastery in that class. Considering he will be placed in progressively harder class in HS because he took the accelerated class in MS, he should show that he has mastered the content. Else, why would you accelerate this child? Let them learn at the regular pace.

[Anonymous]

The difference between an A and a B can be one missed assignment, a bad night sleep, a headache or a misunderstood instruction. You are telling me that if your child has an 89.4 they should repeat but an 89.5 means good to go on...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The difference between an A and a B can be one missed assignment, a bad night sleep, a headache or a misunderstood instruction. You are telling me that if your child has an 89.4 they should repeat but an 89.5 means good to go on...

My kid's strategy has always been to maintain a very high A during the marking period, so that he can recover if he bombs a test later in the marking period. Most colleges do look at the GPA, so grades are important from that perspective.

However, please do what you think is best for your child, as you have their best interest at heart.

[Anonymous]

Wow..your kid has a great strategy. Such great idea. Most kids just due the minimum and hope for a miracle!

[Anonymous]

due = do

[Anonymous]

Question from NP:

8th grader got Q1 = B, Q2 = A, semester exam C - resulting in 1st semester B.

Q3 = A.

What will he need to finish course with A? Will A in Q4 suffice to raise the 1st semester B to final course A? Does he have to ace final exam?

[Anonymous]

The class is by semester. Nothing can change the grade for the first half....except retaking it. It is a separate class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No, B is not an acceptable grade when you are accelerating a child.

Are you for real? A bright child who gets a B in an accelerated class is ... unacceptable? To whom, exactly? (Besides you, of course.)

A MS student taking a HS credit class and getting Bs and Cs in it is not exhibiting mastery in that class. Considering he will be placed in progressively harder class in HS because he took the accelerated class in MS, he should show that he has mastered the content. Else, why would you accelerate this child? Let them learn at the regular pace.

A MS student taking HS credit classes and getting Bs shows me that that student is challenging herself, and not just skating by at grade level unchallenged. Yes, these grades will go on her HS transcript and affect her overall GPA, but she is also on track to further challenge herself by take many honors-level courses which are weighted higher. It seems to me the GPA will naturally shake itself out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No, B is not an acceptable grade when you are accelerating a child.

Are you for real? A bright child who gets a B in an accelerated class is ... unacceptable? To whom, exactly? (Besides you, of course.)

A MS student taking a HS credit class and getting Bs and Cs in it is not exhibiting mastery in that class. Considering he will be placed in progressively harder class in HS because he took the accelerated class in MS, he should show that he has mastered the content. Else, why would you accelerate this child? Let them learn at the regular pace.

A MS student taking HS credit classes and getting Bs shows me that that student is challenging herself, and not just skating by at grade level unchallenged. Yes, these grades will go on her HS transcript and affect her overall GPA, but she is also on track to further challenge herself by take many honors-level courses which are weighted higher. It seems to me the GPA will naturally shake itself out.

Actually, the GPA does not naturally shake itself out. The only way to get a 4.0 (or a 5.0 as the case may be) is to get straight As. Please, please educate yourself. For those groups of students who will face a very high level of competition and high standards in college admissions, please read this article -

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/f/weighted-gpa.htm