Are my concerns about transcript grades logical?

[kilo90]

My daughter has done BJU DVD's for Math & Science for the last 3 years and I plan to continue with BJU for High School next year. I read & hear that BJU Math & Science is more challenging than some of the other curriculums out there. Don't know. Don't have experience with others since elementary grades. In Science, dd gets A's & B's on her tests and in Math she gets B's & C's. Math is her weak area. (That's one reason I dig the BJU videos. The teacher never asks her "what do you mean you don't get it?! :confused1: ") We spend a good deal of time going over math after the DVD. Language Arts/History is her strong suit. Without going into all the reasons, I really want to stick with the BJU DVD's for Math & Science

 

 I consider her to be very bright; she scores in the 90 percentile on the ITBS (save the Math areas which are mid to low 80's). Am I doing her a disservice by keeping her with BJU where she can't maintain an A?  Seems like Apologia Physical Science is easier than BJU. Are A's across the board more advantageous than B's in a more difficult curriculum??  Just concerned with how a B in Math and Science will look to a college?! Should I find a curriculum that is easier for her in these subjects? I would rather her be challenged but I don't want this to be a problem when it comes to college admissions.  

 

I know there are varying opinions about whether or not colleges even "count" homeschool grades, but...I ask my question anyway.

 

Thanks for any helpful insights. 

[snowbeltmom]

My daughter has done BJU DVD's for Math & Science for the last 3 years and I plan to continue with BJU for High School next year. I read & hear that BJU Math & Science is more challenging than some of the other curriculums out there. Don't know. Don't have experience with others since elementary grades. In Science, dd gets A's & B's on her tests and in Math she gets B's & C's. Math is her weak area. (That's one reason I dig the BJU videos. The teacher never asks her "what do you mean you don't get it?! :confused1: ") We spend a good deal of time going over math after the DVD. Language Arts/History is her strong suit. Without going into all the reasons, I really want to stick with the BJU DVD's for Math & Science

 

 I consider her to be very bright; she scores in the 90 percentile on the ITBS (save the Math areas which are mid to low 80's). Am I doing her a disservice by keeping her with BJU where she can't maintain an A?  Seems like Apologia Physical Science is easier than BJU. Are A's across the board more advantageous than B's in a more difficult curriculum??  Just concerned with how a B in Math and Science will look to a college?! Should I find a curriculum that is easier for her in these subjects? I would rather her be challenged but I don't want this to be a problem when it comes to college admissions.  

 

I know there are varying opinions about whether or not colleges even "count" homeschool grades, but...I ask my question anyway.

 

Thanks for any helpful insights. 

Imo, standardized test scores weigh more with the admissions officers than letter grades, especially from homeschoolers.  That being said, it looks like your letter grades correspond very well to the standardized test results. 

 

I think if you moved your daughter into a less challenging math program so she had A's across the board, it would raise a red flag with admissions because the standardized test scores would not support the letter grade of an A.  A's across the board may also call into question the legitimate A's your daughter does have in her other subjects.

[EKS]

Is it possible that she'd do better with another program?  I don't mean that she'd get a better grade because it is less rigorous, but that she would understand it better? 

 

I would use whatever program makes sense to her, and when you find it you will know which program it is.  Since you didn't tell us your reasons for sticking with BJU, I don't know if one of them is because it just works better for her. 

[kilo90]

I think if you moved your daughter into a less challenging math program so she had A's across the board, it would raise a red flag with admissions because the standardized test scores would not support the letter grade of an A.  A's across the board may also call into question the legitimate A's your daughter does have in her other subjects.

That makes a great deal of sense. Had not thought about that. Thanks for the lightbulb!

 

EKS...I have wondered if BJU Math pushes her too much. I appreciate the DVD's, though, because she gets a clear explanation from someone other than myself and then I can clarify. She does fine with her daily work. The test, many times, throws a curveball that she can't figure out. Or she will get silly things wrong as she is trying to figure out the more difficult parts of the problem. The DVD's use to simply be a nice addition, but with schooling my other 2, a preschooler around, baby on the way,etc. they have become necessary. 

[EndOfOrdinary]

Everyone has a weak subject (or even two). It does not sound like your daughter is wanting to go into a STEM career. If she was wanting to build spaceships or airplanes, then yes, her math grades would be very important. It sounds like she is shifting much more into a field like linguistics, history, women's studies, etc. In such a case, she merely needs to be able to struggle through, learn how to study, how to cope with doing her best even if it does not result in an A+, and knowledge that it isn't perfect that makes her a good student.

I remember having to take Ballet for one of my more obscure college major choices early on in school. I was beyond horrible at it. Like, it was embarrassingly devoid of all grace. I tried. I went to extra classes. I practiced and practiced. The instructor finally just looked at me and said, "Just come to class, and it will be okay." I was devastated. I thought about dropping so much because I just couldn't face not being good at it. I got a B-, the lowest I could get and still have the class count. I honestly believe I learned more in that epically failed ballet class than a dozen I got A's in.

Character is just as important for college as 4.0. Be honest about your kid and proud of her. Don't send the message perfect is what you have to shoot for to be desirable or smart enough.

[G5052]

We all have weak areas.  If you're happy with BJUP, I'd stick with it.  There are National Merit Finalists who don't have straight A's, trust me.

[kilo90]

Thanks so much for the reassurance!! I'm just feeling pressure not to make course choices now that might have ramifications when it comes time for college. 

She knows that many times I'm more proud of her B on a Math test than I am of her A in Geography because I know how hard she worked for the B. I'm uncertain how colleges view transcripts that show imperfections. 

 

"There are National Merit Finalists who don't have straight A's, trust me"

 

Great thought to keep in mind!

 

[alef]

You might also consider changing your grading scheme for the class to allow partial credit for test retakes. Allow her to study the solutions she missed on a test then retake the test (or similar problems) for a chance to increase her grade. The primary benefit of this is that it gives her the opportunity and incentive to improve her understanding of the material.

[momto2blessings]

I do what @alef does w/my 8th graders math grade. For any test problem she misses, I let her go back and correct it and if she gets it right I give her 1/2 credit. I don't know if that's typical, but I know school's give opportunities for extra credit, so why can't I?  :)

[kilo90]

ooh,.. I like that idea of giving her a second chance to do missed problems for a few extra points. Thanks for the idea!