Changes to grading for all MCPS high school students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with not rounding X9.5 ti 10. Isn’t it a very basic rule of math?

I also do not get why all four grading periods are equal. This is still screwy as was the previous way. Why not simply count all grades earned within the semester toward the final grade?

NP here.

If someone wishes to have a strict view of "at least X%", then "at least X%" means you have to be at X.0, Not (X-0.5). For example, an A is at least 90% would mean an A is at least 90.0, not 89.5.

I am fine with that, quite honestly. Not all college profs allow 0.5 bump.

At our private school an A is a 93 or higher, however a 92.5 rounds up to a 93. I think this is fair considering for final grades (the grades shown on official transcripts), the two semester numerical grades are averaged. That means if you have a low A and a mid B, you could end up with a B for the year, unlike MCPS which goes strictly by grade (A plus B equals A). So even though you may get a nice advantage with GPA when a grade rounds up, you still pay the consequences when you get a very realistic final grade on the official transcript sent to colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they should change the grading policy for the class of 2026. These kids are fully into the college process and it's already stressful. Colleges will be thrown off trying to evaluate this cohort.

Class of 26 is already baked in. Most kids apply early and colleges evaluate only up to junior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with not rounding X9.5 ti 10. Isn’t it a very basic rule of math?

I also do not get why all four grading periods are equal. This is still screwy as was the previous way. Why not simply count all grades earned within the semester toward the final grade?

NP here.

If someone wishes to have a strict view of "at least X%", then "at least X%" means you have to be at X.0, Not (X-0.5). For example, an A is at least 90% would mean an A is at least 90.0, not 89.5.

I am fine with that, quite honestly. Not all college profs allow 0.5 bump.

I am 51 years old and had a numerical grading system. Even in the olden days, when someone was ended up with an 89.5, it was rounded to a 90. Of all of MCPS’s policies, rounding is the least controversial/probelmatic.

A lot of school districts still have a numerical grading system. My friend in NY was shocked when I told her that anything between 89.5 and 100 in our school system was simply listed as "A." For her kids, they don't get too stuck on the concept of A or B, because their transcript will say 91 or 86. That is far more granular than what is being proposed even with these changes that the OP is whining about.

[Anonymous]

Op it really is better for your kid if they learn that you don’t get things unless you earn them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with not rounding X9.5 ti 10. Isn’t it a very basic rule of math?

I also do not get why all four grading periods are equal. This is still screwy as was the previous way. Why not simply count all grades earned within the semester toward the final grade?

NP here.

If someone wishes to have a strict view of "at least X%", then "at least X%" means you have to be at X.0, Not (X-0.5). For example, an A is at least 90% would mean an A is at least 90.0, not 89.5.

I am fine with that, quite honestly. Not all college profs allow 0.5 bump.

I am 51 years old and had a numerical grading system. Even in the olden days, when someone was ended up with an 89.5, it was rounded to a 90. Of all of MCPS’s policies, rounding is the least controversial/probelmatic.

It's doesn't really matter one way or the other what the cut off is, but there's no argument in favor of rounding a cutoff. If you want the cutoff to be 89.5, make the cut off 89.5, and say it is 89.5! Don't make the cutoff 89.5 but lie and say it's 90.

Anyone who doesn't understand this doesn't deserve a high school diploma, and probably was educated in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

It's not fair that my 89.45 didn't round to 89.5 to round to 90 to round to 100/An

[Anonymous]

WTH is a "school listserv"? You lunatics have a dedicated forum for insane ranting about your school?

[Anonymous]

Anyone who wonders why you can't get a response to a substantive inquiry to the Board or CO, it's because they spend all their time dealing with harassment spam campaigns from OP and their gang.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with not rounding X9.5 ti 10. Isn’t it a very basic rule of math?

I also do not get why all four grading periods are equal. This is still screwy as was the previous way. Why not simply count all grades earned within the semester toward the final grade?

NP here.

If someone wishes to have a strict view of "at least X%", then "at least X%" means you have to be at X.0, Not (X-0.5). For example, an A is at least 90% would mean an A is at least 90.0, not 89.5.

I am fine with that, quite honestly. Not all college profs allow 0.5 bump.

I am 51 years old and had a numerical grading system. Even in the olden days, when someone was ended up with an 89.5, it was rounded to a 90. Of all of MCPS’s policies, rounding is the least controversial/probelmatic.

It's doesn't really matter one way or the other what the cut off is, but there's no argument in favor of rounding a cutoff. If you want the cutoff to be 89.5, make the cut off 89.5, and say it is 89.5! Don't make the cutoff 89.5 but lie and say it's 90.

Anyone who doesn't understand this doesn't deserve a high school diploma, and probably was educated in MCPS.

Not rounding bugs me because the score % are whole numbers. It just seems counter to math but hey it’s MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would students not get into college? These changes just better reflect the learning in class over a full semester rather than the better quarter.

I don't think it's about not getting into college at all, it's about some kids having a harder time getting into the more selective colleges they want, especially if the colleges are still thinking "well we know MCPS has rampant grade inflation, so getting any Bs is a big deal." And that it's especially frustrating for kids who would have made different decisions about what classes to take what year if they knew this was coming.

I personally think that the benefits for the student body as a whole of applying it to everyone immediately are important enough to balance out those concerns, but I do see why it bothers people.

Kids who are unable to persevere through these changes don’t deserve the more selective universities. This will separate those who truly want it from those who are only half in it. This is not keeping kids from the high grades- only making sure they work throughout the whole semester to EARN the grade! A B might knock them out from HYP, but certainly not selective colleges!

Agree with this. It will be clear who the true A students are. They deserve that edge in elite college admissions.

Let's be real. Grades measure attention and time commitment to irrelevant detail, and concordance with teacher's personal biases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would students not get into college? These changes just better reflect the learning in class over a full semester rather than the better quarter.

I don't think it's about not getting into college at all, it's about some kids having a harder time getting into the more selective colleges they want, especially if the colleges are still thinking "well we know MCPS has rampant grade inflation, so getting any Bs is a big deal." And that it's especially frustrating for kids who would have made different decisions about what classes to take what year if they knew this was coming.

I personally think that the benefits for the student body as a whole of applying it to everyone immediately are important enough to balance out those concerns, but I do see why it bothers people.

Kids who are unable to persevere through these changes don’t deserve the more selective universities. This will separate those who truly want it from those who are only half in it. This is not keeping kids from the high grades- only making sure they work throughout the whole semester to EARN the grade! A B might knock them out from HYP, but certainly not selective colleges!

Agree with this. It will be clear who the true A students are. They deserve that edge in elite college admissions.

Let's be real. Grades measure attention and time commitment to irrelevant detail, and concordance with teacher's personal biases.

Maybe in elementary, but not in the higher level math, science, and English classes. Some students are just more gifted in some subject areas and/or work harder. There’s no reason not to reward those students!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they should change the grading policy for the class of 2026. These kids are fully into the college process and it's already stressful. Colleges will be thrown off trying to evaluate this cohort.

Class of 26 is already baked in. Most kids apply early and colleges evaluate only up to junior year.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would students not get into college? These changes just better reflect the learning in class over a full semester rather than the better quarter.

I don't think it's about not getting into college at all, it's about some kids having a harder time getting into the more selective colleges they want, especially if the colleges are still thinking "well we know MCPS has rampant grade inflation, so getting any Bs is a big deal." And that it's especially frustrating for kids who would have made different decisions about what classes to take what year if they knew this was coming.

I personally think that the benefits for the student body as a whole of applying it to everyone immediately are important enough to balance out those concerns, but I do see why it bothers people.

Kids who are unable to persevere through these changes don’t deserve the more selective universities. This will separate those who truly want it from those who are only half in it. This is not keeping kids from the high grades- only making sure they work throughout the whole semester to EARN the grade! A B might knock them out from HYP, but certainly not selective colleges!

Agree with this. It will be clear who the true A students are. They deserve that edge in elite college admissions.

Let's be real. Grades measure attention and time commitment to irrelevant detail, and concordance with teacher's personal biases.

Irrelevant detail? It's called content mastery, dear.

[Anonymous]

I would think that parents would want their kids to be prepared when they get to college? Why do you want your kid to coast in HS only to flame out in college? That can be a huge financial hit.

Oh. You just care about bragging to your friends and relatives about your kid getting into HYP.

[Anonymous]

By the way, I find all the hemming and hawing about FARMS and EML students pretty offensive. Grade inflation is not a solution to racism. It is an excuse to fail to educate students and then graduate them anyway and kids of color bear the brunt of it.