97
I had a 97 in two semesters, the second of both sophomore and junior year. I guess they’ll see that on the transcript, but it all averages out to a 95-96.
Edit: I also had my highest grades in math and science. 98-99 consistently.
I’m giving senior year my all, as though it was any other year. I enjoy school these days.
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This depends on how your school does the transcript. Ours gave only a single grade for the year. But it varies.
We do two semesters per year, but they still write out the year average on the page. Pretty sure for me it’s a 95 or 96. Probably a 95.
Edit: A 93 at my school isn’t a 4.0–it’s a 3.7. At my school, getting above a 95 is nearly impossible. Even the really studious friends of mine rarely get above a 94.
you wrote
Academically, I failed - but the DoE pushed me through, to make matters worse. This was at the height of my LD.
That is not necessarily true.
Any of the following could have happened:
According to the NYC DOE and the UFT [
Promotion Policy for Students with Disabilities in Grades 3 to 8
](https://www.uft.org/files/attachments/doe-promotion-policy-swd_0.pdf)
Your IEP would have your promotion criteria. If you had a standard promotion criteria :
The following questions are to be considered:
What are the promotion benchmarks for the grade in which the student is currently enrolled?
What are the measures that can be used to assess progress toward the promotion benchmarks?
a. Are there multiple measures used that vary in assessment type and therefore will provide a complete picture of student progress?
b. Are these multiple measures designed in a way that a variety of learners will be able to demonstrate their knowledge/skill?
c. Do the multiple measures allow students with disabilities to demonstrate what they know and are able to do, given the impact of their disability?
What is the student’s current present level of performance?
How does the student’s performance compare to the promotion benchmarks for the grade?
How much progress is needed for the student to make adequate/sufficicent progress toward the promotion benchmarks and be promoted to the next grade?
What is the student’s current rate of progress?
Does the student currently use Assistive Technology and/or Accessible Educational Materials?
If not, would these supports mitigate the impact of the student’s disability and thereby assist the student in meeting promotion benchmarks?
It could be your IEP at the time had you on a modified promotion criteria:
Schools will ensure that modified promotion criteria is only recommended for a student who is unable to meet the promotion benchmarks when assessed using multiple measures.
A student who participates in standardized State assessments may only be considered for modified promotion if the impact of the student’s disability is so severe that the rate of progress is significantly delayed to the extent that the student is unable to make sufficient progress toward the promotion benchmarks. A student can be held to modified promotion critieria in either ELA or math or both. Modified promotion criteria is defined by the student’s appropriately rigorous academic annual goals (not the standards-based checklist that was previously used)
As part of your self advocacy, make sure that you know and understand your IEP. Vince you are over 14, you should be attending and participating in your IEP meetings in addition to talking to your GC about your post secondary transition planning
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Sybbie719 I am interested in your response to OPs original question if possible.
Can or would a LOR from his support teacher serve to mitigate a lack of rigor (or poor academic performance) and help his candidacy for top 20s?
Would you advise him taking a standardized test for t20 app?
My promotion was in doubt in 4th and 6th grades, and ultimately I failed both grades. My new Sp-Ed school pushed me through with the reluctant sanctioning of the DOE. Then, I was put in my current school as a freshman, as though nothing had happened.
I was also born in an off-month, which means I’m a 16 year old senior. That is quite young, considering my brother was 18 as a senior, as are many friends of mine. Not sure if this is a hook, but I doubt it.
I don’t really see what more is going to be accomplished through this discussion. The original question was reasonable to ask, but at this point we’re all beating a dead horse. How much time have you spent debating your viability as a T20 candidate on multiple platforms, by now? At some point, the time would be better spent doing a little prep and taking a standardized test.
The feeling I’m getting is that this is all about proving something to people who underestimated you. Fair enough, but college admissions are not the end point. You’re getting caught up in the prestige arms race (which is the downside of the elite prep school environment which it seems has otherwise served you well - just think where you’d be if your family hadn’t been in a position to pay for this kind of education!) when in fact your ideal college environment is more likely a school like Kenyon or Hamilton… which only people from an environment with distorted perceptions of college prestige would be ashamed to attend. In fact, your stats are on the low end for those schools, especially when applying test-optional. But for those schools, yes, a strong narrative about your arc can reasonably be expected to frame your application favorably. Why not choose an ED school like this, that actually fits your pattern of growth? You seem to think that the cohort of students at these excellent schools would be beneath you, and I can’t quite fathom why. If you think you should be considered the cream of that crop, go there and prove it!
I really do respect the work you have done. But you are asking the most elite schools in the country to replace the accomplishments they normally expect with a narrative of, “I could’ve done that too, if people hadn’t underestimated me!” Do you have any idea how many people can say that? They could fill those schools twenty times over with people who might have qualified, if not for some challenge or setback. And most of those people don’t have the resources and support that you have enjoyed.
Maybe consider playing the long game here, instead of expecting to leapfrog to the top of the prestige hierarchy based entirely on ambition and potential. The idea of ED is to choose a school you love, where you qualify but perhaps wouldn’t stand out in the regular pool, and give them a chance to appreciate your commitment to them and love you back. Everybody has told you a dozen different ways that your ED sweet spot is definitely not Princeton/Williams, and probably not Emory/Wesleyan either. My advice would be, show the love to a school like Hamilton or Kenyon or Skidmore or Conn College. Give them that chance to love you back and nail down a perfect fit.
I don’t think you’ll take this advice, and that’s okay - you can shoot your shot and fall back on your RD list. Nobody has to apply ED at all. You might, however, lose your chance at one of your best-fit schools in the process. As you say, you’ll be fine even if that happens. So, decide what you’re going to do and go for it. I don’t really know what more there is to discuss.
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Every promotion in doubt decision made in January/February results in a holdover in June (I have sent my share of promotion in doubt letters and just promoted students last week after being successful in summer school).
You were not pushed through with the reluctant sanctioning of the DOE, you were promoted based on the promotion criteria indicated on your IEP at that time.
If you were at the DOE, unless you attended school in district 75 (which is designated for children with severe disabilities) I am willing to bet $$ that you went to community school (regular public school).
I did not go to a community school, and I’d rather not get so specific.
I’m not well acquainted with the specificities of the DOE’s Sp-Ed placement. All I know is that I was never officially held back a grade.
Even still, this seems to be immaterial here. Colleges will not be looking at my intermediate school grades.
Even now on another platform, I am getting a much different picture than that of this site. Everyone is telling me to use the “additional info” section on the Common App, and that T20’s/reaches will understand. It is hard to know what is right and what is wrong with such contradictory advice pouring in.
In any event, I agree with your assessment, except I think for ED1 I will consider a Hamilton/Wesleyan-type school, and if that fails I will consider a Skidmore type for ED2. If I do apply to T20’s, most will be freshman blind and all will invariably be in the RD cycle. This could play to my favor, since they will see my senior year trajectory (if it is acceptable).
Typically, I trust conservative estimates more than I do the very fanciful ones I am seeing elsewhere.
However, you are trying to use this experience to create the narrative for applying for college. The narrative that you are telling for yourself, by your own admission is based on what you don’t know and misinformation on your part.
If you did not repeat the grade, then you were not held back.
Again, get a copy of the school profile and your must recent transcript
Speak with your counselor and pay attention to the data, when it comes to the college admission cycle of students who are similar to you so that you know the outcomes and what your counselor has learned so that s/he can better guide you through the process.
Your counselor should be writing about your upward trajectory, and your course placement, your rigor or lack thereof.
You should not be explaining your situation in the 750 words that you need to have your school see another side of you or tell your story (as unfortunately, many students are not good at articulating this in a manner that does not sound like woe is me).
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How can I make myself more clear? For the love of all that’s sacred, please do not apply to Wesleyan!
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please do not apply to Wesleyan!
Hey, I’d be content going to Hamilton just the same. Whatever the reason, I thought Wesleyan was just as difficult to get into as Hamilton.
In my case, the absence of calculus hurts my chances at Wes.
And when, in the middle of the night, you wake up and despite your best efforts, your mind turns to ED (and, it will), I want you to hold on to that thought.
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The three potentially viable ED reaches I can think of are Hamilton, Emory, and Tufts. For ED1, maybe I go Tufts. ED2 (if needed) would be a Hamilton/Skidmore type.
I don’t think that Tufts or Emory will happen for you.
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Emory doesn’t look at grade 9, if that helps. Tufts does. Hamilton does.
What Emory is looking for
ACADEMIC PREPARATION
The classes you take and the grades you receive in them matter. We typically look for students who’ve taken more challenging classes (which can vary from high school to high school, and we take that into account, too) and have done well in them. We also look at standardized test scores if you choose to submit them. Low scores can be overcome by good grades in higher-level classes. But low grades rarely, if ever, can be overcome by high test scores. (Learn more about Emory’s test optional policy.)
RECOMMENDATION LETTERS
Teachers know you best in the classroom, and we want to know what they think about you. You don’t only have to ask for recommendations from teachers of classes where you have done well (although that is okay). Also think about teachers of classes where you struggled and overcame challenges. Those teachers have seen a different side of you that may be beneficial for us to know about.
PERSONAL STATEMENTS AND ESSAYS
This is your place to show us who you are. We’re looking for students who have a voice, who are intellectually curious, and who have demonstrated an engagement with the world around them. Take time to pick the topic that suits you best, and be sure to proofread before submitting it.
TIME OUTSIDE OF CLASS
We seek students who will contribute well to the life of the university and to Atlanta and beyond. What will you gain from our community and what will you give? Whether you’ve been involved in clubs, sports, a job, helping with family, research, or community service, we want to know more about those things.
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That all seems pretty attainable to me, especially if ED (their ED admit rate is nearly 40%).
Still unlikely, but Emory seems more reasonable to me, especially since they don’t look at grade 9.
The better question is will I fit in there? I feel I’d be a lot more comfortable at Tufts, Hamilton, Skidmore or Wesleyan than I would be at Emory, which is way down south.