Anonymous
07/10/2025 00:41
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Sidwell.
The English and History Departments’ grading is especially ridiculous! Math 1 to 4 (particularly 3 & 4) is equally ridiculous, and Chem 1A is pure, unadulterated nonsense.
Sidwell parent from 3 years ago. This PP nailed it. Obv I can’t compare to other schools my kids didn’t attend but very tough, honest grading is very real at Sidwell.
My kid and all of their close friends at Sidwell are finding grading curves much kinder at their current colleges, which include Brown, Yale, Vandy, Cornell, Swarthmore. The possible exception is Chicago. Not that these ^^ schools don’t ask a lot of questions- they do - but if you put in the extensive work then college grades seem higher. My kids friend group is balanced between STEM and humanities majors now fwiw
Big +1 to that. I went to a reputable boarding school and then to UChicago for college. My UChicago A-minuses and Bs were so much more meaningful, and hard-earned, than my spouse’s Ivy League A's. In fact, now when we joke with our kids about whether to accomplish a task with A-, B, or C-level rigor, my husband and I look at each other and ask, “Do we want UChicago B quality or his Ivy League B quality?” There was clearly a lot of daylight between them.
Anonymous
07/09/2025 15:02
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
So giving A+’s is inflation. At least acc to the PP.
Anonymous
07/09/2025 13:00
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Sidwell!
And to the posters questioning science and math— how can you deflate?
I’ll tell you—- essay answers on both that are graded on random specificities. Not just right or wrong, but how you present the answer.
No AP’s, no A+’s, no bump for honors or accelerated classes.
How are any of these deflation? And what school gives A+’s? Ours doesn’t.
STA gives A+’s but it doesn’t really matter because there’s no difference in calculating GPAs. A 98 is an A+ and a 93 is an A but when translated to the 4.0 scale the grades are equivalently recorded as 4.0.
What does help is that STA also reports the student’s numerical semester grades. A student with a 98 average stands out compared to a student with a 93 average even if they have an identical 4.0 GPA.
Anonymous
07/09/2025 10:11
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Anonymous wrote:Daughter got a 5 on AP Lang exam and a B in the class. I say it is grade deflation.
Sounds like your kid is a lazy student but a good test taker.
Anonymous
07/08/2025 18:51
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Anonymous wrote:Daughter got a 5 on AP Lang exam and a B in the class. I say it is grade deflation.
See comment a few pages earlier. A student's grade is based on many factors, such as quizzes, homework completion, and participation in class, as well as exams. It's very common for students to earn a B in the course and earn a 5 on the AP.
Anonymous
07/08/2025 17:17
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Mine got a 5 and an A. Go figure.
Anonymous
07/08/2025 16:37
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Daughter got a 5 on AP Lang exam and a B in the class. I say it is grade deflation.
Anonymous
07/08/2025 16:29
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Anonymous wrote:Sidwell!
And to the posters questioning science and math— how can you deflate?
I’ll tell you—- essay answers on both that are graded on random specificities. Not just right or wrong, but how you present the answer.
No AP’s, no A+’s, no bump for honors or accelerated classes.
Random specificities = your opinion. I assume the teacher has a set rubric that they will happily provide the students after the exam
Forcing students to explain or justify their work is not grade deflation. In fact, it is actually testing who understands the material.
The last line of your post is simply stating the grade inflation doesn't exist - that is a good thing. But it does mean there is grade deflation.
Anonymous
07/08/2025 09:12
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Anonymous wrote:Sounds like an abusive relationship. I constantly keep telling you you’re not good enough so that you can be better and stringer! I made you better!Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The one good thing about Sidwell is that after your kid graduates with mediocre grades and low self esteem, they go off to college and get straight As.
Maybe….but the low self esteem never goes away when it’s been beaten out of you. Ask me how I know
Except this is the line from most parents, who tend to be the sources of this anxiety by expecting perfect grades from their DCs.
Anonymous
07/08/2025 09:10
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher. In math, any level, all you need to do is put one question on a 10 question test that is assessing something that hasn’t been taught yet. It is very easy to deflate scores.
What ethical teacher would do such a thing? I would hope that if this happened to a student they or their parent would address it with the department chair. How could the teacher justify uncluding such a question?
Anonymous
07/08/2025 04:03
Subject: Which high schools have the worst grade deflation?
I’m a teacher. In math, any level, all you need to do is put one question on a 10 question test that is assessing something that hasn’t been taught yet. It is very easy to deflate scores.