Posts by rustyowl7

urbantinker8 said:Personally, when I find myself in a spot like that, I usually don't even bother asking for a higher grade—I just make the call and finalize it.
What matters so much to me isn't some arbitrary number, but rather the actual effort put in over the course of the whole school year and that general vibe regarding their work ethic; those invisible qualities are what truly decide things for me when that GPA is hovering right in that awkward middle ground between a B+ and an A-.
Maybe someone will end up with an A based on a 3.3 average simply because of their attitude, without needing extra tests, whereas I might actually push someone with a 3.5 to take one more quiz.
And honestly, all my kids know where they stand, so I've never really had anyone come to me complaining about a grade.

She really did put in the effort while she was tackling the course material; she even went back for the supplemental assessments later on. I actually think it’s wonderful that the professor offered everyone a chance to aim higher, specifically noting—to those who had already performed well in the first term, particularly during the second semester—that their hard work and dedication were clearly visible and deserved recognition...

frozenrider15 said:HBO was my backup plan all along. 😁

A new experimental track or perhaps something related to HBO has just opened up here in the States, but I wouldn't count on it...

frozenrider15 said:I’d love to tell you I couldn't care less and that she'll just end up enrolling somewhere, but that's not how this works. Honestly, she’d have a better shot at getting into some random high school than actually landing a spot at her first choice—and she isn't even aiming for a traditional prep school. She did stumble upon a second option recently, which, if you ask me, might actually be a perfect fit since she's got a knack for languages, but let's be real: it's just a Plan B. There is no third or fourth option on the table 😁, so we're going to have to get creative to make something happen.

I haven't even mentioned medical school to her, let alone HBO, which I suggested and she would have gladly bypassed ☕ but no, what do I know? 🤦

frozenrider15 said:I’ve been eyeing the pharmacy technician program at a local medical school. But looking at the numbers, it’s a bit grim. The cutoff was 73 points, sure, but the last person who actually snagged a spot last year had 76.57. The year before that? 77.72. With my track record—mostly Bs in math during middle school and just two Bs in eighth grade—I don't exactly look like a scholar. And I don't have any extra credit to lean on.
It honestly makes me feel for her. When I think back to my own high school days, I was sitting there with a C in math one year and an average that hovered right around a 3.0, yet I still managed to squeeze into a prep school. Looking back, I really feel for her struggle.

I feel the exact same way because my situation is identical to yours. It turns out that for some schools, it’s just impossible (San Francisco). On the other hand, she actually has great scores for Microsoft since last year she only had a B in four of the required subjects. She also has good standing for the Electrical school she's interested in, even though her first choice is the language academy...

I find myself reflecting on the current state of our discourse, though I struggle to find a starting point for such a broad topic... It seems we often drift through these discussions without much direction, yet there is a certain quiet necessity in attempting to find clarity amidst the noise... kaže:
Is it truly impossible for anyone to grasp the fact that not all evaluation criteria carry the same weight...😕
If you’re pulling straight A's on the easy assignments but only managing B's on the major exams and the core components of the course, you really can't expect to walk away with a perfect 4.0 GPA without some serious struggle...
The situation is actually quite the opposite for me. I find that I can confidently conclude a student has earned a 3.7 GPA without even blinking, provided their performance in the core, high-weighting components is sufficiently strong compared to their other marks. I make sure to state my reasoning clearly from the very beginning, and I back everything up with extensive, detailed documentation... so there is never any guesswork or ambiguity involved...🙂

There is something genuinely touching about those moments when parents suggest that a child’s perfect grades shouldn't be the sole focus of their worth... It is a quiet kind of kindness, really, when they advocate for looking past the GPA to see the actual person underneath... 😂
Actually, that simply didn't happen...
If I happen to miss an episode once, I’m certainly not going to go out of my way to catch up, nor does it feel like it has any profound impact on the course of anyone's life. It was just a bad day... shit happens, I suppose. Onward...
If a student consistently scores a 1 and then a 4 on their assessments, only to have those 1s corrected to 4s later on... I find myself wondering if it is most logical to simply disregard those initial failing marks entirely. It seems reasonable to conclude that the student’s true performance level is represented by the 4, effectively treating the record as a series of 4s, 4s, and 4s... 🙂.

As a parent, I find myself signing off on this sentiment without any hesitation whatsoever...
Back in seventh grade, my daughter had a bit of a rough start in her chemistry class. She struggled to find her footing with the new curriculum right at the beginning of the school year, which was a little discouraging for her. However, she eventually found her rhythm and began showing a steady upward trend in her grades. Her teacher actually recognized that extra effort and gave her a chance to retake an assessment—I think it was for a 4.3 grade level—to earn an A, specifically because of how much she had improved...

Benjamin Johnson7 said:San Francisco has about 170,000 residents, and I believe there are roughly 4,500 eighth graders in the entire county; within the city itself, the number of preparatory high schools is quite sufficient.
We also have private academies, vocational schools, and even schools following the IB curriculum.
My son mentioned just yesterday that in his entire class, there were only two students with a perfect 4.0, and across all three eighth-grade classes, there were only five such students.
Regarding grading, I believe the fairest approach would simply be to use a pure average.
His school is reputed to be quite rigorous and demanding.

My child is in eighth grade, and since sixth grade, not a single student has achieved a 4.0!
We have two private high schools here, but they really don't compare to the standards set by Nazor or Marulic...

We don't have an abundance of high schools here, so when they do open up, the competition is absolutely fierce. We have two general education schools, two language academies, one focused on STEM, and one specialized in arts. One of the language schools even offers a classical track alongside an Archiepiscopal classical program. The entry requirements are incredibly high, and the rush of applicants is massive every single year. Last year, the STEM academy required the highest cutoff scores of them all...

Susan Martin4 said:I just finished showing this all to my husband—he’s a software engineer.
He agreed. I didn't. I’m looking at this through the eyes of a kid who actually wants to code—someone hungry for hands-on exercises and real practical experience. Telling a kid like that, "Actually, you should spend four years in high school studying Latin, music theory, and art instead of computer networks, algorithms, or databases, and then just wait until college to finally do what you love," feels counterproductive to me. It's just a waste of time.

And what happens if those kids just hit a wall? If they struggle through even the best prep schools and end up missing out on their dream colleges? There’s an insane amount of pressure at places like MIT. It's relentless.

So, after we finished talking, we headed over to the digital mine to scope things out. Turns out, the MIT programs saw the highest enrollment numbers, specifically pulling from schools like Lincoln High and Westside Prep. As for the vocational kids, most were coming out of the local technical colleges and the big trade school over in Chicago.

My kid is still just an elementary schooler, but he’s already convinced himself he wants to be a programmer. Honestly, I’d much rather see him skip the prep school route entirely. If he doesn't make it through a top-tier university, at least he'll have a trade to fall back on. 🕺

Right now, there is actually a specialized technical school near the University of Florida that offers a web programming track. The students say it’s an excellent program, and quite a few kids are showing interest in enrolling...

stormymarlin22 said:MIT doesn't even have an entrance exam

I suppose I didn't read through everything carefully enough 🤣 though she did mention something about entrance exams somewhere else...

urbantinker8 said:well, she probably picked that school because that's where all the kids of Hollywood actors, pop stars, and those other big-name socialites go—it’s either there or at some elite boarding school in New England. they’re considered high-status in those specific circles, and apparently, being part of the "elite" is everything. they do French, Japanese, fencing, Greek, Latin... you name it.
so now she's just sitting at home in her upscale suburb, miserable about it.🙂
she doesn't live downtown anymore, but she's definitely moved past the middle-class suburbs too.
it’s such a headache trying to get into any decent vocational program when the "elite" crowd only recognizes the most pretentious preparatory academies, especially since the dad is a university professor and heaven forbid the kid ends up at a local community college or a trade school instead of an Ivy League. 🙂

From what I've been able to gather, the boy might have had a chance at a technical high school with open enrollment, but based on the way the points system works, he won't be able to get in at all. I was reading through an article and a recent post regarding this...

redridge13 said:Am I reading this situation right?
So, Mikulicka decided to enroll her kid in some fancy school out in Small Town, USA, even though they don't even live in that district—all because she wanted that prestige factor, knowing full well the kid's primary language is French.
And now, predictably, there’s a massive meltdown happening because the kid is getting mediocre grades in French and suddenly doesn't have enough credits to get into any decent prep school.

I mean, 72 out of 80? Is it really just one subject causing this much of a disaster?

I wouldn't say 72 points is a small amount at all. It seems as though if you don't have a perfect 4.0 GPA, you aren't cut out for prep school and won't be able to achieve anything. That certainly doesn't feel right...

rowdypanther12 said:Of course it isn't normal. Then you get those people acting all high and mighty, claiming that if you don't have a perfect 4.0 every single year, you don't belong in a top prep school. 😂Honestly, the whole system is so backwards it's starting to feel like Stockholm Syndrome.

Honestly, I don't even know whether to laugh or cry. I was at the recent school awards ceremony (just gathering some info), and the homeroom teacher is insisting that she definitely has what it takes for a prestigious high school. Well, apparently, she knows her own worth in person, even if our esteemed American experts might argue otherwise ☕

It honestly feels wrong that someone with a 4.8 GPA has to sit around stressing over whether they’ll actually get an acceptance letter.
What’s the best strategy here? He actually has a better score for MIT. 🤣 anyway, there’s no way to appeal the decision once it's made.

hiddendriver34 said:There are more language-focused schools available now, so what's the deal with the eighteenth?

Down here in San Diego, we only have two language schools, even though we have so many surrounding suburbs pulling people in...

chiquita said:exactly.

But honestly, why get so worked up and pass all that anxiety onto your child? You’re becoming hysterical and overreacting...

Because apparently, "everyone will find their place in the world" and "no one is going to be left behind"... 🙄

Oh, really? Please, tell me more. I went from having this incredibly cool, composed kid to someone who is currently falling apart at the seams just because we have fewer school options available now. But sure, let's pretend it doesn't matter since the GPA isn't a perfect 5.0—it's only a 4.8, so maybe she's just not cut out for that prestigious language academy she's aiming for. ☕ It's not like her English grade was a 5.0 from middle school through eighth grade and she absolutely crushes it. She had a 4 in math and geography back in seventh grade, and now she'll likely be taking math and biology... 🤦

In my daughter’s sixth-grade class, it seems like absolutely no one has achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. I was actually quite surprised to find that not a single student reached that mark...
My seventh grader is currently sitting at a 4.8, and based on how things are going, I suspect her eighth-grade year will look much the same.

Registration for the system officially opens tomorrow!

Carl Bishop2 said:Quick question—what’s the highest possible grade point average here? I'm not quite sure which specific classes are being factored into the calculation or how many there actually are total.

80!
They look at English, math, and social studies, and then they pick three additional subjects depending on the specific school and the student's track... basically, it's just based on the GPA from fifth and sixth grade...

redmason4 said:Heads up for all the eighth graders out there—starting this year, they’re switching things up with a single entrance exam for those STEM high schools.

This applies to Washington, D.C. San Francisco hasn't implemented anything like this yet. We do have one STEM school and one math-focused academy here...

mellowskipper said:If I’m reading this correctly—and I might be wrong, but I think I am—everything is supposed to be wrapped up by July 13th?
I’m asking because we really need to get our vacation time requested at work. If that timeline holds, we could head out to the coast as early as July 14th. Maybe?

That was my understanding as well.