50% of all high school seniors have an A average GPA

[Anonymous]

So inflated grades have made GPA essentially meaningless, now it's all about top PSAT, SAT, SAT II, and AP exam scores?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/17/easy-a-nearly-half-hs-seniors-graduate-average/485787001/

I bet inflated GPAs con a hell of a lot of parents into sending unprepared children off to four-year universities. Pricey mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So inflated grades have made GPA essentially meaningless, now it's all about top PSAT, SAT, SAT II, and AP exam scores?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/17/easy-a-nearly-half-hs-seniors-graduate-average/485787001/

I bet inflated GPAs con a hell of a lot of parents into sending unprepared children off to four-year universities. Pricey mistake.

That and the whole "college and career ready" movement in public schools. We aren't allowed to mention that certain students just aren't bright enough to go to college.

[Anonymous]

And the most telling quote from the research:

"Actually, they said, the upward creep is most pronounced in schools with large numbers of white, wealthy students. And its especially noticeable in private schools, where the rate of inflation was about three times higher than in public schools."

[Anonymous]

This is why I don’t understand the logic behind “test optional” admisssions. In this world of everyone gets a trophy, it’s the only standardized measure by which schools can compare students. When I read college confidential and someone claims to have an unweighted 4.0 and a 1120 SAT, my eyebrows go up. So many schools have rampant grade inflation that you just can’t compare GPAs from one school to another.

And yes, I know, some kids aren’t good at timed tests...but 90% of school grades are based on timed tests also. Students who need accommodations on tests in school also get accommodations on standardized tests.

[Anonymous]

This is why I am glad my ds chose to do the IB program. His papers and exams are not only graded by his teachers, but also by the IB examiners. If his teachers aren’t teaching, everyone will know. It holds everyone to a higher standard. He doesn’t have a 4.0, but colleges will know that he is prepared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So inflated grades have made GPA essentially meaningless, now it's all about top PSAT, SAT, SAT II, and AP exam scores?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/17/easy-a-nearly-half-hs-seniors-graduate-average/485787001/

I bet inflated GPAs con a hell of a lot of parents into sending unprepared children off to four-year universities. Pricey mistake.

Not so sure. U.Va. has a 97% first yer retention rate. Most schools that have student bodies with high GPAs also seem to have pretty high 4 and 6 year graduation rates. It's the other end of the spectrum that has the problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And the most telling quote from the research:

"Actually, they said, the upward creep is most pronounced in schools with large numbers of white, wealthy students. And its especially noticeable in private schools, where the rate of inflation was about three times higher than in public schools."

But private schools have admissions standards, so you’re starting off with a stonger cohort. And if everyone wasn’t learning, then bombing PSAT, SAT, SAT II, and AP exams heads roll; headmaster and teachers sacked en masse.

[Anonymous]

Many parents freak out and make teacher's lives miserable for anything less than "As." That's driving the trend. It's very unlikely your offspring is gifted or high IQ.

[Anonymous]

Personally I would love to see a 100 point scale, and a push towards greater consistency nationwide. I admit our private school gives a lot of credit in taking AP exams even for the unweighted GPA- I.e a B grade preAP gets up to an A if you get a 5 on the exam. But an A stays an A. So a college really has no way of differentiating our top students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why I don’t understand the logic behind “test optional” admisssions. In this world of everyone gets a trophy, it’s the only standardized measure by which schools can compare students. When I read college confidential and someone claims to have an unweighted 4.0 and a 1120 SAT, my eyebrows go up. So many schools have rampant grade inflation that you just can’t compare GPAs from one school to another.

And yes, I know, some kids aren’t good at timed tests...but 90% of school grades are based on timed tests also. Students who need accommodations on tests in school also get accommodations on standardized tests.

I think its great for people like me who try very hard and do terrible on those tests. In college and graduate school I had more papers and projects than tests. It depends on your major. Because if it I thrived in college.

[Anonymous]

This is why schools look at the classes -- AP is much more important. And there is a big difference between a 3.5 and a 4.5 GPA. Both are considered A's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why schools look at the classes -- AP is much more important. And there is a big difference between a 3.5 and a 4.5 GPA. Both are considered A's.

but the point is the 3.5 was considered great just a decade ago. The 4.5 is inflated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally I would love to see a 100 point scale, and a push towards greater consistency nationwide. I admit our private school gives a lot of credit in taking AP exams even for the unweighted GPA- I.e a B grade preAP gets up to an A if you get a 5 on the exam. But an A stays an A. So a college really has no way of differentiating our top students.

Yup. It's totally bullsh*t kids are given A's in an AP class, then either skip the end of year AP Exam or score 1 2 3. If you can't get a 4 or 5 you don't deserve an A. But AP exam scores don't release until the summer, which I'm sure is intentional. College Board (owner of SAT, AP, and all the fee-based admissions financial aid crap you have to do) is a total racket.

And teachers don't give a damn if everyone has an easy A. Nobody complains and parents are none-the-wiser until it's too late, e.g. kid bombs AP Exams, kid bombs SAT in 11th, kid fails out of college.

[Anonymous]

It's not supposed to be a culling system.

If you can get an A you should get an A.

Even if you don't like it GPA no matter how hard the school is the greatest predictor of college success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So inflated grades have made GPA essentially meaningless, now it's all about top PSAT, SAT, SAT II, and AP exam scores?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/17/easy-a-nearly-half-hs-seniors-graduate-average/485787001/

I bet inflated GPAs con a hell of a lot of parents into sending unprepared children off to four-year universities. Pricey mistake.

It varies by HS as HS weigh different classes differently. IME in m DCs HS (McLean), about 20% have a 4.0 or higher. The max tips out near 4.5.