Ann.without.an.e Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) something that isn't reflected on any transcript but yours and will have no record but the one you have for him. DS has just struggled with it for some reason. He has A's in his other courses and A's/B's in dual enrollment courses. It is just this one, online course (that I won't name, haha). He finds the format confusing. He has missed a few things accidentally. He was sick and had a hard time catching up. Ok, so when the rubber meets the road....do you really give them that grade if overall they are doing well in everything else or do you give them some opportunities for extra credit/make up to increase it some? I am not talking about magically erasing a D and making it an A. Can you give them a chance to make it right with extra work? I want to do what is in his best interest but I also want to be ethical about it. Edited January 23, 2018 by Attolia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) Well, if it's an official dual enrollment type class, I wouldn't change anything. I have had outside providers (PA Homeschoolers) that state in their syllabus that if parents want to add or change anything about the course they are welcome to do so and may also change the grade. However, if you ask for a recommendation or a transcript it would reflect the given grade. I'd be careful, but I think you can list an outside course as PART of a course and describe in your course description what the course was and how you changed it. Ultimately in this situation you are the teacher and you are contracting someone else to do some of the teaching. I do list things like Bravewriter courses as a part of my Enlgish course and then I give one English grade. I don't break apart a grade for Bravewriter, a grade for the poetry co-op class, and a grade for the home study work. I just describe all we did and then give one grade. Edited January 23, 2018 by Julie of KY 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 If he was sick and had a difficult time catching up, I might give it an incomplete and let him finish the course (that is, the material he missed/ did poorly on) by other means, then grade the thing as a whole. Alternatively, I would let him retake it (either in a different format or with another provider or with additional scaffolding, whatever works for you) for a completely new grade. Many public high schools let you retake 1 or 2 courses during your 4 years and replace the bad grade with the new one, for reference. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanDiegoMom Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Well my oldest was never homeschooled and one of her high schools she attended let you retake a course for higher credit and the other let you take one class completely off the transcript. Each school had a different policy but both gave more leeway than I expected. So my daughter took full advantage and dropped a C off her transcript from her sophomore year. That was the only help she needed transcript-wise. Extra credit-wise, by the end of her junior year she was facing four b's for final grades. She had to do a lot of extra credit and pulled two up at the last minute to A's. Extra credit like environmental volunteering, jr. special olympics, write an extra essay, etc. I don't necessarily approve of volunteering to pull up a grade, but just to let you know public school teachers do offer it for students who are behind in assignments or test grades. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I would either scrap the class and not give credit for it at all, or give substantial extra credit to raise the grade to a B. I would be very hesitant to give a college bound student less than a B on a transcript. I'm not saying I would fabricate a grade. Rather, I would just not give credit for the class at all and redo the credit another year another way. My reasoning for this is that so many scholarships are tied to GPA. I was not a generous grader and railed against grade inflation and extra credit. I also did not weight grades or designate "honors" level on a transcript. Then, the schools my two oldest have applied to tie automatic merit awards to GPA and ACT. I realized I could potentially cost them alot of money as well as honors department admission by having a philosophical objection to extra credit. I decided that if my kids had the test scores to earn scholarships I didn't want that stand I took on a grade in 9th grade to have long lasting implications. Honestly, my oldest two really would have lost out on scholarships if they didn't have several de classes (which the colleges weighted) to bring their GPA up from the harder grading I did early on. That saved them but without the de, those "mommy grades" would have hurt them. With my younger children I don't see giving below a B. I want to be clear that I will not just make up grades but I would alter the courses or drop the courses from our schedule before I would give a lower grade. Kind of like some people say their kids get all As because they teach to mastery. I guess in my homeschool if they can't make a B, I won't grant credit at all. I really think it should be okay to have Bs and even an unusual C on a transcript but with scholarships granted according to a formula that requires a 4.0 or 3.75 I'd be very hesitant. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I would absolutely give a high school kid an opportunity to fix what he has broken. For a criminal justice analogy, think "restorative justice." Really that's the idea underlying the policies of most high schools, which do allow for a student to retake a flubbed course. In my opinion, high school kids are still kids; they need grace and to be provided a path to correct mistakes. That's not at all the same thing as simply "erasing the grade." My two cents. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I would not give the grade, but I would instead have him repeat the course (even if it was another format or at home or with another provider) and give the new grade instead. something that isn't reflected on any transcript but yours and will have no record but the one you have for him. DS has just struggled with it for some reason. He has A's in his other courses and A's/B's in dual enrollment courses. It is just this one, online course (that I won't name, haha). He finds the format confusing. He has missed a few things accidentally. He was sick and had a hard time catching up. Ok, so when the rubber meets the road....do you really give them that grade if overall they are doing well in everything else or do you give them some opportunities for extra credit/make up to increase it some? I am not talking about magically erasing a D and making it an A. Can you give them a chance to make it right with extra work? I want to do what is in his best interest but I also want to be ethical about it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 Well, if it's an official dual enrollment type class, I wouldn't change anything. I have had outside providers (PA Homeschoolers) that state in their syllabus that if parents want to add or change anything about the course they are welcome to do so and may also change the grade. However, if you ask for a recommendation or a transcript it would reflect the given grade. I'd be careful, but I think you can list an outside course as PART of a course and describe in your course description what the course was and how you changed it. Ultimately in this situation you are the teacher and you are contracting someone else to do some of the teaching. I do list things like Bravewriter courses as a part of my Enlgish course and then I give one English grade. I don't break apart a grade for Bravewriter, a grade for the poetry co-op class, and a grade for the home study work. I just describe all we did and then give one grade. No, not an official dual enrollment type class. There will be no record except mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I would scrap the class and not report it (credit or grade) at all. I'd try to find some other, one-semester course that the student could take this semester to replace the dropped credit.If it's a course the student needs to have on his transcript for some reason, I'd have him do the course with another provider next year. Having had a semester of exposure to the subject and being a year older, he might do better the second time through. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) I told him today that if he can get a 90 for this second semester then maybe I will give him extra credit assignments for the summer and simply give him his second semester grade if he successfully completes the extra credit assignments. Is that fair? Edited January 23, 2018 by Attolia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 IMO, not at my house. But, it is your house. I'd go with either the dropping credit option or if you want to go with the 90 for the second semester idea, give him 0.5 credit and whatever grade he got for 2nd semester. I think several of the suggestions upthread are good. (I have a kid who manages to get poor grades in the classes she takes at home with me because she blows off my assignments. She might end up repeating one of "my" classes (that is an elective) in another format for a grade because she's seriously sucking at it right now for me just due to lack of effort. I told him today that if he can get a 90 for this second semester then maybe I will give him extra credit assignments for the summer and simply give him his second semester grade if he successfully completes the extra credit assignments. Is that fair? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) If the extra credit he does over the summer is a rehashing of the first semester stuff that he failed (that is to say, he basically redoes the first semester over the summer), then sure. eta: in that case, you're giving him the grade he gets for second semester and letting him retake the first semester of the course. All of my classes in high school were graded by semester. Edited January 23, 2018 by eternalsummer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 We teach to mastery here. I would give him the opportunity to master the material and grade accordingly. The important thing is that he learn how to learn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 You've already received great suggestions. I wouldn't put the grade on my transcript. I would have my child repeat the necessary coursework and/or offer extra credit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 If the extra credit he does over the summer is a rehashing of the first semester stuff that he failed (that is to say, he basically redoes the first semester over the summer), then sure. eta: in that case, you're giving him the grade he gets for second semester and letting him retake the first semester of the course. All of my classes in high school were graded by semester. This is what I had in mind. Go back and complete the things he didn't complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domesticidyll Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I had a French teacher in high school who would give students who got an A on the final exam an A for the year. It worked to motivate us, and it seemed fair at time and seems so to me now--because the A reflected the material mastered at the end of the year. If it is a question of lots of work that didn't get completed, you might ask the provider to call it an incomplete, so paperwork lines up (even if you don't plan to send the provider's transcript on). Teachermom, I really appreciate the mom grade advice! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 IMO, not at my house. But, it is your house. I'd go with either the dropping credit option or if you want to go with the 90 for the second semester idea, give him 0.5 credit and whatever grade he got for 2nd semester. I think several of the suggestions upthread are good. (I have a kid who manages to get poor grades in the classes she takes at home with me because she blows off my assignments. She might end up repeating one of "my" classes (that is an elective) in another format for a grade because she's seriously sucking at it right now for me just due to lack of effort. Ok, my thought process here was this....it will encourage him to raise his grade this semester and I think he's capable because he should understand the format now. And the summer assignments will be the items that complete what he has zeros for from first semester. Does that make sense? He will have completed the year's work, just shifting the missing assignments to summer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 As somebody who teaches an online and co-op course, I would be fine with a parent allowing make-up work. I have to put an end to the semester and school year for practical reasons (I can't have assignments from 40 students trickling in for a full year) but a parent has the flexibility to stretch a course out for longer if they want. I'd also be OK with a grade assigned based on showing understanding on a cumulative final. I would see those differently than the grade being made largely based on extra credit, but in teaching homeschoolers I understand that the grade that I'd give and the grade that parents ultimately record may not be the same. I think that if you list the provider, you're stuck with their grade but if you list the class as your own, you have a little more leeway. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 Thank you so much for your help. We've actually just decided to drop the course altogether and start an intensive one semester course and work this summer some too. Sometimes a format is just not right for a kid. That is why we homeschool I guess :lol: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 If the grade will never be placed on any transcript and you are responsible for granting credit, then I say, your course, your rules. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 Thank you so much for your help. We've actually just decided to drop the course altogether and start an intensive one semester course and work this summer some too. Sometimes a format is just not right for a kid. That is why we homeschool I guess :lol: That's why we don't DE yet - too little control over the details. I think that's a great decision! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 (edited) That's why we don't DE yet - too little control over the details. I think that's a great decision! I know, it is scary to lose control. :laugh: DS is doing great in his DE classes at a local private college though. That is why I would hate to do that to him (grade wise) when his other grades are fantastic, even at the college level. Edited January 24, 2018 by Attolia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 I agree though sometimes a particular class not being a right fit! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 Hmmm... The reality is, that he will have teachers he dislikes, formats that are confusing in the real world and he has to learn to PLUS whatever he can to make up for the parts of the course that e struggles with. Did he try communicating with the teacher ? My son had a hard time in his college English course. 1. There were group projects and one kid didn’t turn in his assignment, so my son didn’t turn in his critique letter on that kids assignment. He got a 40 because the teacher sAw that he signed into the Portal and did the other letters and therefore was aware and doing work. So rather than get angry or give up my son visited the prof during office hours, did extra credit work and made up for the F. The prof also explained, always turn *something* in. Examples were he could have critiqued the work of someone else to which he had not been assigned or he could have written his critique letters based on class discussion and what he would encourage his classmate to write about based on that guys discussion. There were several other issues. My son forgot to bring food on his assigned day to being food (they read a book about food so the prof was trying to make things fun) and he also missed an assignment and was having trouble with a particular paper. He visited the prof in all 3 times and was met with sincere desire to help. His grade was a B in the end which is terrible for him since he is an extremely gifted writer and literature guy. But it may have been a C if he hadn’t reached out!!! Tons of courses are online now even at brick and mortar colleges they require a certain number of online courses just to ease the crowded buildings and commute. So your son has to learn that in online courses one has to work TEN times as hard to keep up. One has to communicate early and clearly. One has to double and triple check the assignments every day in an almost obsessive manner. The teachers add assignments all the time and often they’re due in two days. I think the grade should stand but he has half a year to bring it up! :) I would be very proactive sitting with him and teaching him to check his class portal twice a day, add everything to his planner, learn to communicate communicate communicate...etc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 High school is a good time to learn when certain formats just don't work, so I think your plan of dropping what wasn't working & doing something different is a good one. DD#1 knows that live online classes work better for her than asynchronous ones with no meeting times - especially when they don't have due dates! (All those MOOCs would be great if the format worked for her. It simply does NOT, so we don't waste time on them.) While in real life & college you have to deal with what you are given, homeschooling high school gives you leeway to learn before them. :hurray: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 I see you and he have decided to drop the course. Dropping the course may absolutely be the best course of action right now but I would also absolutely be working to dig down into WHY EXACTLY it was a poor fit. There may be many times in life he is in a situation where the circumstances are not ideal and he will not be able to simply walk away. 1. Does he need to be more proactive at letting the teacher know he is confused on the assignment? Did he really work through everything again and still not get what was due and when? Did the teacher know he was ill and might need an extension on the work? Did he ask? Does he know to communicate quickly with the teacher in those circumstances and to do that as soon as he realizes he doesn't understand or may need more time due to illness? 2. Does he need to set up alarms to remind him of due dates/times? Maybe even multiple alarms? 3. Does he need to learn how to space out assignments? 4. Is the computer format that was used somewhat confusing/cumbersome? If so, did he come to you BEFORE he missed deadlines to get some help on how to navigate? Or ask his teacher? Learning how to ask for help can be hard for some kids but it is a very important life skill. 5. Is the teacher severely disorganized and a poor communicator? If so, you may want to brainstorm with him on what to do if those circumstances arise again. Dropping is not always an option. Good luck to you both. I hope your compressed course goes well. :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey00 Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) Well my oldest was never homeschooled and one of her high schools she attended let you retake a course for higher credit and the other let you take one class completely off the transcript. Each school had a different policy but both gave more leeway than I expected. So my daughter took full advantage and dropped a C off her transcript from her sophomore year. That was the only help she needed transcript-wise. Extra credit-wise, by the end of her junior year she was facing four b's for final grades. She had to do a lot of extra credit and pulled two up at the last minute to A's. Extra credit like environmental volunteering, jr. special olympics, write an extra essay, etc. I don't necessarily approve of volunteering to pull up a grade, but just to let you know public school teachers do offer it for students who are behind in assignments or test grades. This post is really helpful. It is nice to see that the "accredited" public schools are sometimes more flexible than we are on our homeschool kids. Thanks! Edited January 25, 2018 by journey00 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 (edited) When I was in high school, the offered college bound kids the option to repeat the course and to drop the first grade from the transcript. In my opinion that is the honest solution. Or just drop it all together and take something else in the summer. I do not think post facto extra credit is fair. It would have to have been offered as part of the course the name of which you are putting on the transcript. Edited January 26, 2018 by Tsuga 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 I told him today that if he can get a 90 for this second semester then maybe I will give him extra credit assignments for the summer and simply give him his second semester grade if he successfully completes the extra credit assignments. Is that fair? More than fair. Quite a few years ago in our local paper, I read about the local public high schools doing just that. Students had the opportunity to completely erase the first semester's grade by doing well the second semester. I have to remind myself of things like that when I really feel like being strict and not giving any grace. I've come a long way in my homeschooling, and I now tend to give my kids opportunities to get things right, rather than just suffer the consequences of their failures. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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