Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, a 79.5 is definitely a C at my kid's school, and an 89.5 is a B.

Ours too! No rounding up. They also don't allow any AP's until junior year, and only 2 AP or honor courses total. You also only get 0.5 point for both of those. No full point. We were told less than 10% have above a 4.0 and sometimes only 1-2 kids a year graduate with above a 4.0 and sometimes they have an easier track. Tough!

I feel sorry for your children on the AP front. That’s one of the way college admissions officers know whether a kid can handle college level courses. Also kids who score high enough on APs can get college credit. That can greatly reduce the cost of college if you have enough credits. That’s really a shame for your kids.

My kids go to a school that doesn't offer any APs at all. I hope they are prepared for college...

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.

Yup. Immature with As and Bs are sent off to expensive Party U's. When they're really C students who should be proving themselves at far cheaper commuter U or 2yr junior college under parental control.

Kids with Bs and Cs are sent to commuter colleges and 2yr junior colleges with about a 90+ % failure to complete rate. What's the point?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my kid's private, only 16% of the students are 4.0 and above. This is in first semester of junior year. Kids in this school cannot take an AP course until sophomore year and only one is allowed. Also, APs are weighted one point higher honors weighted .5 point higher. An A in this school is truly an A. Kids have mid term and final exams in all classes. I feel so blessed to be able to send my kid to a school that actually has credibility with their grading process.

Having a similar experience. I was SHOCKED by the difference with public ... but the school is very confident that colleges understand the truth behind all those puffed-up 4.8s.

At my children's former good not great public hs kids could turn in any assignment for full credit up until last week of semester. They could retake all tests. Result: Building full of careless slacker kids with no study skills or ability to work on deadline. When impulses found something better to do than homework or study: "I can't just turn it in late" & "It doesn't matter if I bomb that tomorrow, I'll just retake it next week."

I'm not exaggerating. Kids with near all A's in this school with no study skills, who just retook test after test. On social media so many "top" kids who graduated from that district in 2013-2017 have flunked out or they're just spinning their wheels "taking classes." These students never deserved the A's, they were C students at best.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, a 79.5 is definitely a C at my kid's school, and an 89.5 is a B.

Ours too! No rounding up. They also don't allow any AP's until junior year, and only 2 AP or honor courses total. You also only get 0.5 point for both of those. No full point. We were told less than 10% have above a 4.0 and sometimes only 1-2 kids a year graduate with above a 4.0 and sometimes they have an easier track. Tough!

I feel sorry for your children on the AP front. That’s one of the way college admissions officers know whether a kid can handle college level courses. Also kids who score high enough on APs can get college credit. That can greatly reduce the cost of college if you have enough credits. That’s really a shame for your kids.

You really, really don't know what you are talking about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, a 79.5 is definitely a C at my kid's school, and an 89.5 is a B.

Ours too! No rounding up. They also don't allow any AP's until junior year, and only 2 AP or honor courses total. You also only get 0.5 point for both of those. No full point. We were told less than 10% have above a 4.0 and sometimes only 1-2 kids a year graduate with above a 4.0 and sometimes they have an easier track. Tough!

I feel sorry for your children on the AP front. That’s one of the way college admissions officers know whether a kid can handle college level courses. Also kids who score high enough on APs can get college credit. That can greatly reduce the cost of college if you have enough credits. That’s really a shame for your kids.

No, actually AP's are more of a money making scheme than anything else and college admission officers know this and many of their schools do not like to take kids who will spend less money at their schools than others. Many only take 5's, some 4 or 5's for main courses. Last year only 10% of kids taking the Chemistry AP had a 5 and only 16% had a 4. Some colleges are doing away with accepting them realizing the kids aren't ready. On year of Calc BC will NOT get you pass two full college semesters of Calc 1 and 2 unless you are a rare genius. Most kids end up taking the courses and it saves no money. Some withdrawal and waste a semester.

That said, my child's school has no English honors or AP courses but at least 70% of the kids opt into the AP Lit or English Exam by Junior year and pass with a 4 or better. So no, I do not believe that AP courses taught quickly by high school teachers are the best way to show whether kids can handle college courses. One could say going to a rigorous college preparatory school with 100% 4yr college matriculation and doing fantastic, would be the best way to show you are ready for college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS scored a 36 on the ACT this past February. While we are thrilled, we wonder if his chances to get into a selective school will be hurt by the fact that his GPA is only a 4.1 (private school) and all his public school friends are getting 4.5. DS did not max out with APs and was not even able to take an AP until his sophomore year (only one available). He will be taking 4 APs next year, and that should help. But to be competing against these kids who take multiple APs in their freshman and sophomore years is worrisome, unless truly the admissions people are aware of the grade inflation in MCPS.

Frankly, I think standardized test scores are a better indicator of future success. I am sure many of these kids getting 4.5 GPA in public schools are not getting perfect ACT scores like DS.

You are the mom whose kid was able to take the ACT over several days, right?

Most kids who are in the upper score range on the ACT could easily get a perfect ACT with the time component eliminated

How the heck can you take it over a few days? The test is easier than the SAT but you are on a massive time crunch, especially the reading section.

They must have had a documented learning disability, and sought special testing. https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-TestAccommodationsChart.pdf

I don't get this. Will the college and work life later on give extra time all the time. This is bit ridiculous.

Kids give the opportunity to do the tests with more time they don't have documented disabilities have not show to increase their score.

Colleges, even Ivy's, do give extra time.

At my job we have deadlines and sometime people without disabilities need an extra day and we adjust the schedule or add help. It's very common in the real business world. IT is full of ADHD and dyslexic kids, it not an issue and their spacial reasoning skill are usually better. Also they tend to have honed their listening skills since reading is not a strength.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, a 79.5 is definitely a C at my kid's school, and an 89.5 is a B.

Ours too! No rounding up. They also don't allow any AP's until junior year, and only 2 AP or honor courses total. You also only get 0.5 point for both of those. No full point. We were told less than 10% have above a 4.0 and sometimes only 1-2 kids a year graduate with above a 4.0 and sometimes they have an easier track. Tough!

I feel sorry for your children on the AP front. That’s one of the way college admissions officers know whether a kid can handle college level courses. Also kids who score high enough on APs can get college credit. That can greatly reduce the cost of college if you have enough credits. That’s really a shame for your kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS scored a 36 on the ACT this past February. While we are thrilled, we wonder if his chances to get into a selective school will be hurt by the fact that his GPA is only a 4.1 (private school) and all his public school friends are getting 4.5. DS did not max out with APs and was not even able to take an AP until his sophomore year (only one available). He will be taking 4 APs next year, and that should help. But to be competing against these kids who take multiple APs in their freshman and sophomore years is worrisome, unless truly the admissions people are aware of the grade inflation in MCPS.

Frankly, I think standardized test scores are a better indicator of future success. I am sure many of these kids getting 4.5 GPA in public schools are not getting perfect ACT scores like DS.

You are the mom whose kid was able to take the ACT over several days, right?

Most kids who are in the upper score range on the ACT could easily get a perfect ACT with the time component eliminated

How the heck can you take it over a few days? The test is easier than the SAT but you are on a massive time crunch, especially the reading section.

They must have had a documented learning disability, and sought special testing. https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-TestAccommodationsChart.pdf

I don't get this. Will the college and work life later on give extra time all the time. This is bit ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS scored a 36 on the ACT this past February. While we are thrilled, we wonder if his chances to get into a selective school will be hurt by the fact that his GPA is only a 4.1 (private school) and all his public school friends are getting 4.5. DS did not max out with APs and was not even able to take an AP until his sophomore year (only one available). He will be taking 4 APs next year, and that should help. But to be competing against these kids who take multiple APs in their freshman and sophomore years is worrisome, unless truly the admissions people are aware of the grade inflation in MCPS.

Frankly, I think standardized test scores are a better indicator of future success. I am sure many of these kids getting 4.5 GPA in public schools are not getting perfect ACT scores like DS.

You are the mom whose kid was able to take the ACT over several days, right?

Most kids who are in the upper score range on the ACT could easily get a perfect ACT with the time component eliminated

How the heck can you take it over a few days? The test is easier than the SAT but you are on a massive time crunch, especially the reading section.

They must have had a documented learning disability, and sought special testing. https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-TestAccommodationsChart.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS scored a 36 on the ACT this past February. While we are thrilled, we wonder if his chances to get into a selective school will be hurt by the fact that his GPA is only a 4.1 (private school) and all his public school friends are getting 4.5. DS did not max out with APs and was not even able to take an AP until his sophomore year (only one available). He will be taking 4 APs next year, and that should help. But to be competing against these kids who take multiple APs in their freshman and sophomore years is worrisome, unless truly the admissions people are aware of the grade inflation in MCPS.

Frankly, I think standardized test scores are a better indicator of future success. I am sure many of these kids getting 4.5 GPA in public schools are not getting perfect ACT scores like DS.

You are the mom whose kid was able to take the ACT over several days, right?

Most kids who are in the upper score range on the ACT could easily get a perfect ACT with the time component eliminated

How the heck can you take it over a few days? The test is easier than the SAT but you are on a massive time crunch, especially the reading section.

Anonymous wrote:Also, a 79.5 is definitely a C at my kid's school, and an 89.5 is a B.

My kid’s school cutoff for an A is 94%!

Anonymous wrote:Also, a 79.5 is definitely a C at my kid's school, and an 89.5 is a B.

Ours too! No rounding up. They also don't allow any AP's until junior year, and only 2 AP or honor courses total. You also only get 0.5 point for both of those. No full point. We were told less than 10% have above a 4.0 and sometimes only 1-2 kids a year graduate with above a 4.0 and sometimes they have an easier track. Tough!

Also, a 79.5 is definitely a C at my kid's school, and an 89.5 is a B.

Anonymous wrote:In my kid's private, only 16% of the students are 4.0 and above. This is in first semester of junior year. Kids in this school cannot take an AP course until sophomore year and only one is allowed. Also, APs are weighted one point higher honors weighted .5 point higher. An A in this school is truly an A. Kids have mid term and final exams in all classes. I feel so blessed to be able to send my kid to a school that actually has credibility with their grading process.

Having a similar experience. I was SHOCKED by the difference with public ... but the school is very confident that colleges understand the truth behind all those puffed-up 4.8s.

Anonymous wrote:In my kid's private, only 16% of the students are 4.0 and above. This is in first semester of junior year. Kids in this school cannot take an AP course until sophomore year and only one is allowed. Also, APs are weighted one point higher honors weighted .5 point higher. An A in this school is truly an A. Kids have mid term and final exams in all classes. I feel so blessed to be able to send my kid to a school that actually has credibility with their grading process.

Same here. I wonder how much shock public school parents and students would be in at a private school where you actually have to work hard to get top grades. My son worked harder for a C+ in Algebra 1 in private school and than any of the As he was given in public school.