Reply to Appropriate "punishment" if DD bombs finals

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DD 9th grade has not been working to her fullest potential this school year.  Currently her GPA has dipped under a 3.0 (this has NEVER happened before).  [b]I want to give her fair warning that if she receives anything lower than a B (80) on any final exam then there will be some sort of consequence. [/b] The problem is I just don't know what to do.  Our summer is pretty much mapped out with planned/paid for International travel and her summer job (DC summer jobs program, which I need for her to do because it will help me financially).  I don't want to be too harsh but I need her to understand that I am disappointed in her performance this school year (I've already said it), and I need her to finish strong.  Rather than waiting for the grades should I say that from now until finals I expect her to devote all her time to studying and take away all electronics?  If I know that she really studied and put the time in then it would be harder for me to punish for a grade less than a B (which she is more than capable of getting).  Advice welcomed.  TIA!![/quote]

Former HS teacher here.  80% sounds like a respectable grade, but it isn't necessarily a magic number.  You could instead look at the situation in terms of the final course grades.  Your DD should be able to calculate what exam grade she would need to pull off the course grade that is the goal, based on her grade going into the exam and the percentage weight of the exam.  If she's in 9th grade, she's probably never done this before, but now is not a bad time to start.

For example let's say that in Class #1, pulling off an A on the report card would depend on getting a 97% or higher on the exam (let's say that's a stretch for her), but in order to keep a B, all she needs is a 72%.  Let's say that in Class #2, to get a B, she would need an 85% on the exam.  For Class #1, you might want her to go for an exam grade of 80%, just to teach her the value of hard work and studying.  But for Class #2, wouldn't you rather suggest she push extra hard and go for the 85%?

I don't want to give the impression that Class #1 is not important.  It sounds like you realize that she has dropped the ball on parts of the school year, and that you let it slide and shouldn't have.  So everybody is trying to make a comeback here.  That said, she can't fix all her problems in a matter of weeks.  So it's good for her to learn about what is realistic and how to prioritize and set goals (if she turns out to be in a situation like Class #2).[/quote]

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