middle school grades

[Anonymous]

I need a reality check. DD just started sixth grade at a W feeder middle school, after coming from a small, warm elementary school where she had all Ps and ESs, and was in the top reading and math groups. DD cannot seem to get those same marks in any of her middle school classes - I don't expect perfect marks, and her grades are not terrible (a mix of low As and Bs), but she has not gotten 100 percent on any quiz or test. The work doesn't seem hard, and she says she understands it all. I hear that the majority of students at this middle school make honor roll (which I assume is straight As), but DD likely won't achieve that which I suppose would mean she is in the bottom 50% of students. It seems so different than how she performed in elementary school. I know it is still early in the year, but I wonder if I need to think about whether there is a problem (whether a learning problem, adjustment problem, a lack of understanding of expectations, or something else entirely).

[Anonymous]

My son is the opposite - so-so grades in elementary, and straight As in middle school. Why? Because I got him in a GT/LD program where he goes to resource instead of foreign language and receives extra organizational support. Before that he would forget to turn things in.

I think you need further analysis to narrow the issue down, but I would hazard a guess that she's overwhelmed by the sheer number of obligations she has, which is the main difference compared to elementary: turn this in, turn that in, assignment due tomorrow, project due next week, and by the way tryouts are today.

[Anonymous]

First off, Honor Roll is not all As. I think one C is allowed - it's a mix of As and Bs (another way to make everyone feel smart!). Give it time.

[Anonymous]

Teachers could also be making sure that students understand that the expectations are higher in middle school. I think the best thing to do is talk to the teachers in the classes where she is "struggling" (but not really struggling--Bs are just fine). But I agree w/ PP: Give it a little time, too. MS is different really different.

And yes, PP is right: Honor roll is not straight As.

[Anonymous]

Many, many students struggle the first semester of middle school. This is where I think MCPS sets them up for failure. It will get better as she gets settled.

[Anonymous]

In my kids' middle school, they literally have 4 levels of honor roll. Top level is for all A's, next level is for all A's and B's, the level after that is for A's, B's, and one C, and the level after that is for kids who have shown some measurement of improvement which might still include a lot of C's. In Oprah's words: Everybody gets a car.

Don't fret too much over your daughter's grades. She is learning a new grading system and new study skills. My biggest concern for my own kids is to make sure they understand the material so there are no holes in their knowledge as they move on to the next lesson in each class. One of my kids is prone to making tiny mistakes on almost every quiz that frequently add up to a whole letter grade. He is slowly learning how to budget his time on these quizzes so he doesn't have to rush through some questions and has time to review his answers.

[Anonymous]

If "most" kids are getting all A's, they don't know how grades work.

[Anonymous]

Have you checked edline to be sure she is turning all homework and retaking the retakeable tests?

[Anonymous]

Edline/teachers don't do a good job at pointing out which tests are retake-able.
Email your DC's teachers and get them to tell you whenever a test can be done again.
Hopefully, your DC will take this over by 7th grade but for now, missing them could easily be the problem.
It has been a while but I think, teachers made sure kids retook tests in our elementary school.

[Anonymous]

My son got all As in his public ES. Occasionally he would get a B. When he started in 6th grade in a private school, he got one A and the rest Bs. The grading scale was harder. I'm glad he knows that his straight As with little effort were not a good indicator of anything except grade inflation. Now he actually has to work for his grades. I wish he had learned that from the beginning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Edline/teachers don't do a good job at pointing out which tests are retake-able.
Email your DC's teachers and get them to tell you whenever a test can be done again.
Hopefully, your DC will take this over by 7th grade but for now, missing them could easily be the problem.
It has been a while but I think, teachers made sure kids retook tests in our elementary school.

I'm not sure my 8th grader has ever done a retake. I certainly can't tell which ones could be retaken from edline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son got all As in his public ES. Occasionally he would get a B. When he started in 6th grade in a private school, he got one A and the rest Bs. The grading scale was harder. I'm glad he knows that his straight As with little effort were not a good indicator of anything except grade inflation. Now he actually has to work for his grades. I wish he had learned that from the beginning.

+1 Our experience too. With the exception of the magnets and HGCs, it appears MCPS is relaxing standards and dumbing everything down so they can "close the achievement gap." We also found our local private much more rigorous - and also more engaging and fun - than MCPS.