Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 13:16     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
Anonymous wrote: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?



I would've bump up for him since he asked me first.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 13:14     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
.4 gpa difference
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 12:56     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, if a teacher can’t round a grade up .3 points, that is not a good hearted teacher. And yes there is a lot of gaslighting going on in these classrooms. I’d definitely raise as much hell as I possibly could.


Would you rather a teacher be "good hearted" or honest?

Would you like them to raise the grades for all kids, or just those whose parents have the language skills and political capital to forcefully advocate?

Do you want them to fraudulently change grades in the records, risking their own career in the process?
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 12:55     Subject: Re:Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OPs kid in two years: https://twitter.com/profannieoakley/status/1402701671197642752?s=19

Nothing wrong with advocating for yourself. It just may work.


Or it might get you mocked on Twitter for lack of professionalism and understanding of academic/human norms.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 12:53     Subject: Re:Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
Anonymous wrote:OPs kid in two years: https://twitter.com/profannieoakley/status/1402701671197642752?s=19

Nothing wrong with advocating for yourself. It just may work.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 12:51     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
I’m sorry, if a teacher can’t round a grade up .3 points, that is not a good hearted teacher. And yes there is a lot of gaslighting going on in these classrooms. I’d definitely raise as much hell as I possibly could.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 11:57     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
Anonymous wrote:They time to correct this was the start of the 4th quarter when you saw he was on the edge.

The old saying "a failure to plan on your part, does not make an emergency on my part".

What was his 3rd quarter grade status? That was the time to say to the teacher "I need some help".


Op here. The third quarter grade was a solid B
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 11:41     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
No, you do not ask. Your kid got the grade he got. He will work harder next year, I'd he wants to and will remember this slip. Remember, he will be off to college in a year and you will have to let him fend for himself.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 11:34     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the replies. I didn’t think I should request the “bump” in grade, but wanted to get some opinions to see if everyone here would say, “yes! You absolutely should help your kid.” As I said, I’m not usually one to intervene in things like this. One comment: my son did do all of the assignments and very few were late. Not sure if the “real” grade was actually lower. But at any rate, it’s done and we shall move on. Thanks for the input.


“Very few” assignments were late and you still think the teacher should just hand out a grade bump because Helicopter Parent?

Troll level: Expert


Please. It sounds to me like the child made their best effort during a hard year. No one is perfect. There are plenty of kids who didn't turn in much and sure as heck didn't turn it in on time. A kid who turned everything in with only a few late is great for this year.

OP: IB in Junior year is difficult and this year had to be even harder. Colleges are going to know that this year was hard and that. A C+ in IB Math during the pandemic is nothing to be ashamed of. I understand that it is hard to be close to that B- and not get it but reinforce that your are proud of your sons effort and the grades he earned during a stupid, hard year for kids and Teachers. This will not tank him for college. He will have great opportunities if had solid grades Freshman and Sophomore year and gets off to a solid start next year. One C+ does not sink college. If he was an A/B student in the IB program before this year, the schools he was looking at for this year should still be available.



OP here. Thanks I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful response. This is the approach we are taking.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 11:27     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
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.


Same. And my junior is getting a 79.8 in one class, which will completely change the list of colleges. It's been a crap year. Sigh.


This is the FCPS grading policy. A 79.8 should be bumped up to an 80. In your case, I'd elevate and challenge this.

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/determining-quarter-and-final-grades
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 11:26     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
They time to correct this was the start of the 4th quarter when you saw he was on the edge.

The old saying "a failure to plan on your part, does not make an emergency on my part".

What was his 3rd quarter grade status? That was the time to say to the teacher "I need some help".
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 11:18     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
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.

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.

What??? This is why there needs to be strict rules so teachers aren't accused of discrimination if they bend the rules for one but not another student. There is a round up at .5 rule. If it's .4, .3, .2...., NO.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 11:13     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
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.


I agree with this. FCPS actually rounds up at .5.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 10:18     Subject: Re:Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
Anonymous wrote:The teacher already said no. I would leave it alone.

As a former teacher, often by the time you see the 79.2, that is *after* I've done all I can to help the child boost the grade, and there isn't anything further I can do without maintaining fairness/integrity in grading. To the PP who said, who bends over backwards to get somebody just below a threshold, I think you're confusing the results with the process, which may look different in an educational setting than in other fields of work. OP your child wasn't wrong to ask though. It was a hard year for many students. Your child should be proud of what they accomplished.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2021 10:16     Subject: Do I ask teacher to bump up math grade?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Screw these nay sayers, this is your kid and their future! Yes, reach out to the teacher and copy the appropriate admin.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and when applying tocolleges, the colleges don't know that you were the squeaker when they make that first cut because of gpa!


This, look over everything and try to find any error in any graded assignment. We had a teacher who took forever to fix grades after realizing that the name field was being marked as an incorrect answer. If you can find one error, you can go to her and the administration complaining about her sloppy grading - where there is one, there are surely more- hurting your child


Do the same if you find that the teacher was generous in grading. "Teacher gave ds an 80 in this class, my calculations show he actually had 79.6. Please have the teacher correct the error - this is unacceptable!"


Exactly, sometimes the error is in their favor. No one ever complains about those...