Reply to "Not a Meritocracy"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ok.  Everyone is disappointed when their hard working student does not get into a desired college.   That is true across the board.[/quote]
Yes, but private school parents seem to be blaming the private school, as if paying for the $$ private school should mean they should get special treatment.[/quote]

I have no dog in this fight but it seems the position of the private schools is that their kids with lower GPAs are being evaluated more harshly. Like the appropriate adjustments are not being made for the rigor of the grading. [/quote]

This. My kid has been in public and private. Public school was not rigorous (even though it’s one of the “top area public schools). My kid’s gpa would be much higher in public. Maybe colleges were never really distinguishing between the rigor of schools or mandatory SATs disguised this.[/quote]

The public school applicants have AP scores to validate their grades. If we're talking about public school kids applying to the type of schools the OP think he kid deserves to attend, you are talking about a lot of 4s and 5s in classes with curriculums that are supposed to be consistent across all schools offering the course. [/quote]

Is it MCPS where you get an 82 one semester and a 92 the next and they end up with an A for the year? That’s the crazy grade inflation I’m talking about.[/quote]
Indeed, but as a PP stated, just look at their AP test scores.

Everyone games the system to their advantage.  Kids will put in the minimal effort to get the A, but when it counts like the AP test scores, they will show their ability.

Lots of public school kids get majority 5s on APs and 1500+ SAT scores. No amount of grade inflation is going to help with the AP test scores.[/quote]

I don’t care about AP scores. The colleges are screening by GPAs which are artificially inflated. [/quote]

AP scores validate or discredit a GPA. They are the one objective measure of course rigor that colleges have. Schools can talk about how rigorous their classes are until they are blue in the face, but a kid with and A and a 5 in a similarly titled class from a no name public school is going to be viewed as having done well in a rigorous class. [/quote]

There are many schools that don't do AP for many unique and valid reasons. [/quote]
What valid reasons do private schools use to get rid of AP classes?[/quote]

They think they can create better classes. [/quote]
Yet, based on the grade inflation argument, AP exams (and classes) are really the only objective measurement of ability.  Basically, private schools are getting rid of AP classes because they don't want to pay College Board. IMO, it's a financial reason.  Their teachers aren't even certified teachers.

When I see job postings, I always see how the employers want certifications in abc, xyz, but I guess for private K-12, certifications need not be required.  I guess it's because they don't get paid as much.   Private school parents are happy to spend $$ on schools being taught by teachers who don't get paid that much and aren't certified.  Then, those same parents expect high results for college admissions.

Go figure.[/quote]
Lots of Towson-educated “education” majors teaching in our local public schools. The vast majority of them wouldn’t have survived or gotten into a top college or a difficult subject-matter major.[/quote]
Sure, but they at least need to be certified, unlike private school teachers.

FYI - being smart doesn't make you a good teacher, especially in the lower grades.[/quote]

A thousand times this!

I have a PhD from MIT.  One of my kids as a third grader would have decided she didn't like math if I was the only one involved.  Luckily she had a lovely third grade (public) school teacher who truth be told didn't know a ton about math but did know about how kids learn.  I dont recall where her degree was from but I dont think it was anywhere people on this board would get excited about.  I credit her with keeping the math/science option open for my DD.  My DD is now studying physics at UChicago and this teacher had a ton to do with that outcome.  [/quote]

Ditto. Immigrant aunt who barely speaks English still managed to teach my kids so much that they both skipped grades while she was their nanny. No SAT score there!

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