seventh grader A student got a B in the final exam

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry about it. I had a child that was straight A right up until 6 grade. He struggled. Just let him know that grades mean little and that it matters how and what have you learned.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read all the comments, but you sound INSANE, OP. You are way, way too worried about this. Your poor child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real shame here is that a kid's performance in 6th and 7th grade can affect his/her high school GPA. And don't kid yourself, that is potentially a big deal, particularly if the kid has ambitions to apply to ultra-elite colleges.

For those asking, high school level courses taught in middle school do indeed earn high school credit and are included in the cumulative GPA. I believe that includes A/B foreign language classes, Algebra I, Geometry, and I suppose in OB's child's case, Algebra II as well.

I have a kid who just finished 10th grade. For four semesters of high school he's had straight A's. The only thing keeping him from a perfect 4.0 at this point is a 6th grade B in Spanish I A/B, and an 8th grade second semester B in Geometry.

I think capable middle schoolers should certainly be taking these classes and earning credit, but I don't think they should be counted toward high school GPA. OP's kid got a B in Geometry in 7TH GRADE, that should be celebrated as a huge achievement (most advanced math kids in MCPS take Geometry in 8th, so this kid is extremely advanced). Instead, OP is concerned about the ultimate effect on her child's GPA, and her concern is legitimate.

+1000

I am opposed to including middle school classes on the high school transcript, but practice I don't think it matters. There is not a college in the world that cares what grades a student got in 6th grade. Seriously.

Most colleges do not. Some very selective elite colleges do. Why? Because so many exceptional kids apply there for such few seats. Majority of students don't even apply because the chances are so slim.

If OP's kid would want to apply in such a college then his concern is valid.

I agree with what PP wrote - " capable middle schoolers should certainly be taking these classes and earning credit, but I don't think they should be counted toward high school GPA".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read all the comments, but you sound INSANE, OP. You are way, way too worried about this. Your poor child.

LOL. The debate has moved and evolved but you have to write something stupid. Why? Because you are too lazy to read comments and follow along? Who do you think is insane? Your poor child.

[Anonymous]

I think this is the natural result of people being so focused on their kid being in the "most advanced" math group.

Unless your kid wants to go to MIT or Chicago, no college is going to care that they "only" got to AP Calculus in high school. Why not let your kid slow down, learn the material at a developmentally appropriate rate, develop strong foundations, and cap out at a perfectly acceptable level?

[Anonymous]

For all the people bashing OP, please realize that there are some high achieving kids who would beat themselves up for a B (especially after having gotten used to all A's) no matter what their parents said. I was one of those kids. My parents tried to not make a big deal out of grades thinking that would reduce the pressure that I put on myself, but it didn't matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is the natural result of people being so focused on their kid being in the "most advanced" math group.

Unless your kid wants to go to MIT or Chicago, no college is going to care that they "only" got to AP Calculus in high school. Why not let your kid slow down, learn the material at a developmentally appropriate rate, develop strong foundations, and cap out at a perfectly acceptable level?

If you stepped off your soapbox for a moment and actually thought about it, this is a kid who was an A/B student all year long, so clearly s/he can handle the material. That's not the issue here. If we were talking about a kid struggling to maintain a C average, then your post might have some merit.

If a kid is doing B and above work in a subject, obviously they're in the right class. The bigger question is should that advanced student then be penalized on their future high school GPA because they were a year or two ahead of their peers?

[Anonymous]

There is so much wrong with this thread I don't even know where to start! For one, why in the world do 6th graders need to even think about what's going on their high school transcript? They are 12 years old, FFS.

And why is a B even a problem? You do realize plenty of kids get into wonderful colleges even with some Bs on their transcript? And you do realize getting into an Ivy college isn't the cure for all ills of the world? And that plenty of people are extremely successful even without a 4.0 GPA?

I'm speaking as someone who is thrilled that my 10th grader completed Geometry with a B after getting a C and D first semester. Some of you need to gain perspective. OP's child sounds bright and motivated, and I'm sure they'll do great in HS and college. No need to stress about all of this in 6th grade. Let it be and RELAX.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is so much wrong with this thread I don't even know where to start! For one, why in the world do 6th graders need to even think about what's going on their high school transcript? They are 12 years old, FFS.

And why is a B even a problem? You do realize plenty of kids get into wonderful colleges even with some Bs on their transcript? And you do realize getting into an Ivy college isn't the cure for all ills of the world? And that plenty of people are extremely successful even without a 4.0 GPA?

I'm speaking as someone who is thrilled that my 10th grader completed Geometry with a B after getting a C and D first semester. Some of you need to gain perspective. OP's child sounds bright and motivated, and I'm sure they'll do great in HS and college. No need to stress about all of this in 6th grade. Let it be and RELAX.

Do you know who won't do great in college? This posters child!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People make their children retake courses because of B's? Wow.

+1. This has to be a joke! Poor kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much wrong with this thread I don't even know where to start! For one, why in the world do 6th graders need to even think about what's going on their high school transcript? They are 12 years old, FFS.

And why is a B even a problem? You do realize plenty of kids get into wonderful colleges even with some Bs on their transcript? And you do realize getting into an Ivy college isn't the cure for all ills of the world? And that plenty of people are extremely successful even without a 4.0 GPA?

I'm speaking as someone who is thrilled that my 10th grader completed Geometry with a B after getting a C and D first semester. Some of you need to gain perspective. OP's child sounds bright and motivated, and I'm sure they'll do great in HS and college. No need to stress about all of this in 6th grade. Let it be and RELAX.

Do you know who won't do great in college? This posters child!

I'm this poster and we're all fine here, thanks. I have two older children at Ivies; school has always come easy to them and this is where they belong. My youngest has LDs and worked extremely hard this year to bring up her math grade to a B. I'm extremely proud of her. She will end up at the college that's right for her. More importantly, she hopefully will be emotionally healthy and resilient.

[Anonymous]

OP, please add the following books to your summer reading list:

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, by Wendy Mogel, as well as her follow-up, The Blessing of a B-

http://www.amazon.com/The-Blessing-Skinned-Knee-Self-Reliant/dp/1416593063/ref=pd_bxgy_14_text_y

Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be, by Frank Bruni

http://www.amazon.com/Where-You-Not-Who-Youll/dp/1455532703/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1435348132&sr=1-1&keywords=where+you+go+is+not+who+you%27ll+be

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much wrong with this thread I don't even know where to start! For one, why in the world do 6th graders need to even think about what's going on their high school transcript? They are 12 years old, FFS.

And why is a B even a problem? You do realize plenty of kids get into wonderful colleges even with some Bs on their transcript? And you do realize getting into an Ivy college isn't the cure for all ills of the world? And that plenty of people are extremely successful even without a 4.0 GPA?

I'm speaking as someone who is thrilled that my 10th grader completed Geometry with a B after getting a C and D first semester. Some of you need to gain perspective. OP's child sounds bright and motivated, and I'm sure they'll do great in HS and college. No need to stress about all of this in 6th grade. Let it be and RELAX.

Do you know who won't do great in college? This posters child!

NP here. I am not so sure. I raised 3 college graduates (2 went to schools that people on DCUM salivate over). All 3 graduated from college with honors. Sure, they were not HYP schools but the numbers make it a long shot for most kids. While grades were very important in our house, we would not make a kid repeat a year of math for a B if we were comfortable that they were picking up the material. Truth be told, my kids were all B students in math and as long as they gave 100% effort and could work through some adversity, we were fine with that. They all had great options for college and did great once they got there. 2 got into highly ranked grad/prof schools and one got a great job right out of college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is so much wrong with this thread I don't even know where to start! For one, why in the world do 6th graders need to even think about what's going on their high school transcript? They are 12 years old, FFS.

And why is a B even a problem? You do realize plenty of kids get into wonderful colleges even with some Bs on their transcript? And you do realize getting into an Ivy college isn't the cure for all ills of the world? And that plenty of people are extremely successful even without a 4.0 GPA?

I'm speaking as someone who is thrilled that my 10th grader completed Geometry with a B after getting a C and D first semester. Some of you need to gain perspective. OP's child sounds bright and motivated, and I'm sure they'll do great in HS and college. No need to stress about all of this in 6th grade. Let it be and RELAX.

I agree with you. The problem is, they're in a system where those grades ARE going on their transcripts and will be waiting for them when they show up at high school in a few years, and will be calculated into their overall GPA. Is that a big deal? For most kids, probably not. But still, it sucks that that grade you got at 13 will stick on your record.

[Anonymous]

I thought that the they would get credit for the class, but the grade would not be calculated into their High School GPA.