the charter gave DS a different (higher) grade than AoPS

[domesticidyll]

I just received DS's fall report card, and our charter teacher gave DS a higher grade than his online AoPS teacher gave him. My instinct is to ask the charter to change the report card to reflect the AoPS assessment, for several reasons:

 

The lower grade is probably a better assessment of his work.

 

It seems a bit sketchy for the charter to be inflating grades, especially since it was done on the strength of a handful of work samples.

 

I also don't want to set a precedent of agreeing to the charter changing grades: I could also see them lowering grades because of not understanding how AoPS deliberately assigns hard problems and wants kids to struggle.

 

 

DS is in 7th grade, but is getting high school credit, so colleges will see these grades.

 

Does anyone have been-there-done-that advice for me?

Edited March 6, 2017 by domesticidyll

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

I'm not sure I would consider it artificially inflated. AoPS classes are honors level coursework. It is not uncommon to weight honors courses differently on a transcript.

[TerriM]

I think I'd start by asking how the grade on the report card was calculated rather than asking them to change the grade.

[EndOfOrdinary]

Honestly, if the charter looked at the problems at all they moght have increased the grade because the work is so far above and beyond what is normally done in most math classes. A C in super rigorous class is equivalent to an A in hum drum, low level class.

 

Ask questions, but recognize that unless it is printed out as AoPS Class Title, they are probably changing it to reflect the actual quality of what was learned.

[madteaparty]

Isn't this the whole point of weighted transcripts?

I haven't told DS yet about this concept, I hope he doesn't find out, but I do think it legitimate.

[Mike in SA]

For what it's worth, the middle school grade shouldn't appear on the high school transcript, anyway.  Just "credit earned prior to high school."

[wapiti]

I'm not keen on grades from middle school appearing on the high school transcript.  If there's a chance that might happen with this grade, I would NOT look that gift horse in the mouth.

[Dmmetler]

If they actually looked at the work samples, I'd go with their assessment. FWIW, our cover school did something similar when I asked them to review what DD had done so that specific math courses could be listed for high school credit. They counted AoPS Introduction to Algebra as Algebra 1 and 2, and then gave her credit for "Advanced Algebra" for Intermediate Algebra. Whatever they want to do-she will have a full year of math every single year until she enters college full-time, and I doubt colleges care when she did algebra or what the cover calls it as long as she has the knowledge. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TerriM]

Our school specifically said that you have to ask for the grades from middle school to appear on the high school transcript even when they're regular high school math courses (Algebra I&II/Geometry/Precalc/Calculus).  I'm not sure if you're allowed to pick and choose though. 

[Roadrunner]

I am assuming you are in CA. Aops is now accredited for specific a through g classes, so I would only list them for what they are listed as on UC page and use aops grade. Yes, aops is challenging, but their grading is beyond generous and already takes into account the fact that it's challenging. They give several tries for problems and you can get problems bar blue with quite a number of mistakes. We plan on reporting aops grade as is and indicating on transcrip what that class is equivalent for UCs. I would not feel right increasing the grade. We also belong to a charter.