Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?

Anonymous
My junior son is ending the the year with a 79.2 in an IB math class. He wrote the teacher to see if he could do anything to bump it up to an 80 and the teacher said no. I’m not usually one to intervene, but it’s a pandemic and FCPS has bent over backwards to help kids out, why not one little .8 boost so he can get a B- on his transcript? He’s attended all classes and studied, it’s not like he blew it off. What would you do?
Anonymous
The teacher already said no. I would leave it alone.
Anonymous
I'm not familiar with FCPS, but if his teacher refused, I don't think that they would say yes because you asked. Also, asking for extra credit is different than just asking to have the grade raised from 79.2 to 80.

Anonymous
PP. OP, I know that it can be frustrating for your son because he can't change the past. You can encourage him to analyze what he could have done differently and apply that thinking to other courses. For example, could he have asked the teacher for help, studied more, studied earlier before tests, or chosen an easier course?
Anonymous
No. Intervening after your *junior* has been told no is a bad idea. What are you going to do, say pretty please? It’s been a terrible year, but there was a lot of extra forgiveness added to the grading.

And I say this the parent of a junior who was .3 away from an A in APUSH she killed herself for, and who didn’t get a bump. And a college freshman who had a C+ in math in 10th grade and got into Pitt, Kenyon, Oberlin, Grinnell, Macalaster, WM in STEM. In fact, 9/10 college applied to.

Leave it alone.
Anonymous
This year, I'd probably assume that the 79.2 was already bending over backwards to help my kid and that he actually deserved a 60.
Anonymous
I’d review the grades for all of the assignments in the course and make sure the teacher didn’t make a mistake somewhere that would get you the other .8.
Anonymous
What? This is why! Of course, you are a NoVa parent! Constant entitlement, insanity, demands, and crap!
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:This year, I'd probably assume that the 79.2 was already bending over backwards to help my kid and that he actually deserved a 60.


As a teacher that is 100% correct. Whatever your kid’s grade is right now, assume it would be at least a full letter grade lower in normal school. The teacher probably already bumped everything he could and can’t bump more without going in and literally saying the kid did missing assignments he didn’t do. We have helped your kids a ton. The 79 is already the gift.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I’d review the grades for all of the assignments in the course and make sure the teacher didn’t make a mistake somewhere that would get you the other .8.


Understand this goes both ways. If parents ask me to “review my grades” this way I make sure to let them know errors that show I entered a grade too high sometimes come up as well and the resulting change is a more accurate but lower grade. So you need to be careful with this.
Anonymous
Your kid should probably have a 69 and the 79.2 is after all of the curves and grade bumping and exempted assignments. Don’t ask for more.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This year, I'd probably assume that the 79.2 was already bending over backwards to help my kid and that he actually deserved a 60.


As a teacher that is 100% correct. Whatever your kid’s grade is right now, assume it would be at least a full letter grade lower in normal school. The teacher probably already bumped everything he could and can’t bump more without going in and literally saying the kid did missing assignments he didn’t do. We have helped your kids a ton. The 79 is already the gift.


This.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:This year, I'd probably assume that the 79.2 was already bending over backwards to help my kid and that he actually deserved a 60.


This.
Anonymous
Ugh OP you are exactly what is wrong with this area. NO you do not do this.
Your kid was right to ask if there is anything HE could DO to bump it up. But the answer is no. Period.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:This year, I'd probably assume that the 79.2 was already bending over backwards to help my kid and that he actually deserved a 60.

BS. Who bends over backwards to get somebody just below a threshold? That doesn’t make sense. If I was a teacher, <1 point gets rounded up. Especially if the kid is asking to do extra work. I’d complain like hel. Is there a reason your child may be discriminated against or the teacher wouldn’t like him. Does the teacher have a history of this behavior? Maybe she feels she can screw certain kids over and get away with it. Use any outlet to complain and expose the situation if you feel your son is being done wrong.
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