RE: Why do 95% of high school kids nowadays have a 3.5 gpa or above?????

Because lots of high schools don't use the 4.0 scale anymore.

wascallywobert wrote:

As a teacher I can assure you there is a A for everyone mentality. I get it from students and admin alike.

Don't paint us with that brush wrote:

Bullshit. First, there is no "all As" mentality. There have certainly been some examples of grade inflation (see Harvard U.), but it is certainly not an epidemic. Similarly, some parents are like the ones you described! but most are realistic. Finally, most administrators are not encouraging handing out As the way you describe. That would cause more problems.

Thanks, WW. Always good to get backup from the folks still in the trenches.

You are the problem, Looking out for yourself and job, not the kids.

"Except for some circumstances, college should always be encouraged."

Seriously?!? NO! NO, It should not!

The question should be rephrased: "Why do 95% of PUBLIC-high school kids now a days have a 3.5 gpa or above?"

Go find a legit private school with 95% of kids with a 3.5 or above. The government is weak. Everyone's a winner here. We wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by making them exert themselves a little bit to achieve something notable, now would we?

"You are the problem, Looking out for yourself and job, not the kids. "

It's not his responsibility to fix society. Teachers do their best to teach in spite of all the crap they have to deal with. Part of that crap is people blaming them for everything when they're just doing their job.

NO, a "C" is really NOT worth and "F".

Getting a C means that most of those kids will be starting at Community College, and if they do well, they can go on to the next level. Basically they aren't getting their college paid for and they aren't going to a Division 1 school from the get go...they are taking the long road.

We have some very smart kids in the high school where I teach. Giving a .5 bump on an AP course is fair, very fair. If you've taken an AP course, then you know what I'm talking about. They are tough classes.

Ever take an AP History Class as a freshman in high school? Buckle up buttercup as getting an A is NOT easy. How about Honors English? Very tough with a lot of writing.

In fairness, I have no clue what district you people are from and yes I know that the OP is a troll just messing around, but AP courses get you a .5 bump for most districts that I'm aware of and these kids have A LOT more work to do than the average student...believe me.

I imagine that GPA was initially taken into consideration as a way of assisting students who couldn't afford to live in a good school district gain entry into college or get a good job. However, its current form is a travesty of its intended use. Colleges, schools, teachers, administrators, parents and students are all complicit, ultimately to the detriment of the US. When American society rediscovers its spine, colleges will use SAT scores as the sole means by which high school achievement is measured, and offer a limited number of spots to disadvantaged students who scored just below the entry threshold.

wascallywobert wrote:

As a teacher I can assure you there is a A for everyone mentality. I get it from students and admin alike.

Don't paint us with that brush wrote:

Bullshit. First, there is no "all As" mentality. There have certainly been some examples of grade inflation (see Harvard U.), but it is certainly not an epidemic. Similarly, some parents are like the ones you described! but most are realistic. Finally, most administrators are not encouraging handing out As the way you describe. That would cause more problems.

Perhaps at your school, but not at mine ... or any other I am familiar with.

GRINDTIMEmyTIME wrote:

The question should be rephrased: "Why do 95% of PUBLIC-high school kids now a days have a 3.5 gpa or above?"

Go find a legit private school with 95% of kids with a 3.5 or above. The government is weak. Everyone's a winner here. We wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by making them exert themselves a little bit to achieve something notable, now would we?

At private schools the number grows to 100%. The pressure from high-tuition-paying parents combined with pressure from administrators who need to keep those tuition payments flowing guarantees that private school students will get good grades whether they are deserved or not.

My school did not have GPA. Your school must have been prestigious.

Noooooo wrote:

My school did not have GPA. Your school must have been prestigious.

His school was a high school. That's the difference.

Because teachers don\'t get paid enough to care.

When I was in high school back in 1985 if you had a 3.4 GPA by your junior year you made the National Honor Society or whatever that thing was. I got kicked out because I dropped to 3.2 as a senior. And in a high school with only 750 students there were only 10-15 of us.

Back then we had an old English Lit teacher and for some reason everyone in the college prep track had to take his class. I don't think he ever gave a student a B in 40 years. Maybe he did for 2 or 3.

The guidance counselors were working with 4.0 students, a couple each year trying to get accepted Ivy League schools. Even some that went to top Engineering schools but this guy and his red marks on weekly papers about "Beowulf" of some Shakespeare crap was making it harder when he was given out "C"s and "D" to kids that scored 28 on the ACT. Which was a top score in those days much more than now.

Obviously grades have been inflated. Because everyone needs to get a college degree to have any chance to make a living.

And there are all now advanced tracks which grade you on 4.5 scale. We had advanced courses like physics when I was in high school but they didn't get extra points for being in that track. An A was worth 4.

I do think the top kids are better educated in high school today but the secondary education system has more pressure to give kids a fighting chance to get to college.

Hence grade inflation.

A successful person wrote:

You are the problem, Looking out for yourself and job, not the kids.

"Except for some circumstances, college should always be encouraged."

Seriously?!? NO! NO, It should not!

So pleased to hear you turned out successful, successful person. As they say, "it takes a whole village" and I'm very gratified to be part of the village that helped formulate you.

However, not advancing your contention about college being unnecessary will get you blown out of the water in most high school debate competitions. Successful people step up to the plate and take a full swing, big guy.

As primarily a middle school teacher, I've had students who would excel in college if they started attending college tomorrow. I've also had students in middle school who could not successfully complete their locker combination for an entire year without an adult intervening. You'll say that is my failure, of course, but only because you are clueless.

There are many instances where I can only hope certain students will be responsible adults.

There are also some very f***** up parents out there and often parents can be more messed up than their kids are.

A wealthy parent once offered $1000 to her daughter if she got straight A's because her best friend's parents came down with the same incentive. So I give that student a "B" and that student's mother flies into my classroom the next morning screaming, "You just cost my child $1000! We are DEVASTATED!" I showed the mother the grade book and explained that her daughter bombed a big test which was closely aligned with state standards. The mother replied she was going to rally together other parents against me.

Keep in mind there are many scholarship opportunities at colleges. When talking to the median 30-75 percentile of middle school kids, I believe it would be irresponsible to say "college sucks and it might not be for you". I graduated in the bottom 20% of my high school class and never would have gone anywhere but the Army after graduation had it not been for a college athletic scholarship to a school in the Big Sky Conference. I did the 100 mile weeks in high school because teachers pumped it into my head that I might be college material despite my poor grades. Yeah, they inflated my grades during my last two years in high school so I could retain my athletic eligibility.

Let's say a kid is academically ineligible to attend an after-school dance because you gave him a low grade. The parent raises hell on the phone with the principal (principals always hate those kind of angry parent phone calls over a freaking dance), you see that student dancing that night, and you realize your boss caved and overruled you. Will that teacher ever block another kid again from attending a dance? No, not unless a lot of Johnny's teachers are humping that same bandwagon.

Would my parents (born 1923 and 1930) have raised holy hell with the principal on the phone if I missed a dance? No, they would have told me I sucked and that I deserved any punishment given.

Today's parents go ballistic about teachers denying kids their due social life and how teachers are always the 800 pound monster clogging up all the fun.

After a few years of dealing with remarkably deranged helicopter parents, anyone with a brain realizes "f*** it man, it's only a silly dance". No need to throw a wet blanket on fun.

In closing, you're damn right I'm worried about job security when it comes down to fighting grade inflation. I've walked many despondent teachers in tears out to the parking lot after their contract wasn't renewed because they naively thought principles mattered. I was that way once. Principles do not pay your f****** mortgage.

No, you play the game. Johnny is doing great. Everyone is. Nothing to see here. Move along now.

bump

If everyone wants to be "rappers", "reality TV stars" and NBA players than set up[programs to see if than is viable. In other words bring in people that are rappers and TV stars and NBA players and let them observe the students and talk to them see if they have the talent to make those things viable careers. If just your average teacher says "you don't have talent and looks to be another Kim Kardashian you had better go to colledge" that won't mean anything because that is what ALL teachers say. But if Kim Kardashian says "you had better go to college" than you had better go to colledge!