@shippo - My sons AP Physics C class started with 24 students at the beginning of the year. There are 8 students left at this point in the year. Many kids had to drop because 1) the class is incredibly hard, 2) the teacher is ill-equipped to teach, and 3) the school doesn’t provide good materials for the students. Most of their homework is online only - no papers that the students can use to see where they are having trouble even if they did get a tutor. From what I’ve been hearing on this thread, it’s not uncommon.
I wish your daughter the best of luck. I hope you are able to get an exception.
My son has always had excellent grades, even with mostly AP and honors courses. He also takes medication and has done behavioral cognitive therapy for ADHD. He has always had accommodations due to his issues with organization and overall appearance of inattentiveness. He has not always used his accommodations, however. He is allowed extra time on assignments - not because he needs it to get them done, but because he has a hard time keeping track of where items are. So he would do all the work, but leave the item at home. Or he’d write everything down that he needed to do, but leave the book he needed in his locker. It took us a long time to help him come up with strategies to NOT do these things. It’s a misnomer that really smart and capable ADHD students don’t need accommodations, as they frequently DO need them. We have been incredibly lucky in that the GC, school nurse and disability coordinator at his high school insisted that all the accommodations he had stay on through all of high school - they both have certifications for learning disabilities and ADHD. His school is also a Title 1 school, so they have a vested interest in making sure the IEP and 504 populations do not fall behind. We have been blessed in that.
Texasmom2001 Thanks for your input.Unfortunately I feel my daughter is a casualty of this teacher.While so many teachers are wonderful and love teaching and seeing their students succeed this one was not. His base salary is 97.000 which seems like a lot to not teach.I live in Southern Ca and this salary is public.I was trying to see how long he was a teacher so I had looked .At the most he is early 40’s.I see on the news teachers making 30.000 and having to work 2 jobs in some states but devoted to teaching .So not fair.
elodyCOH you are so lucky that your school is so receptive.Ours is very adversarial and I’m told many high achieving kids with ADHD like my daughter across the country are met with the same resistance my daughter got.I’m sure I would have won if I got an attorney but they were not going to do anything for her without one.The extra time on testing is huge in high school.My daughters SAT I’m sure would have been much better.She always ran out of time.
@Shippo ADHD affects kids differently. I’m so sorry your daughter didn’t get the right accommodations. Mine didn’t need extra time on tests - that was never an issue for him. I’ve heard that it’s really difficult getting testing companies to allow those.
Did you ever request a 504 or an IEP for your daughter?
If she was not getting accommodations for a documented disability (extended time on exams/assignments) did you contact the committee on special education?
In case it’s helpful for anyone else who might need it, these were the accommodations my ADHD kid DID get:
Where books and papers were provided by the school, my son was allowed to have a copy for school and home.
He had extra time to turn in assignments without losing points. (We did not allow him to abuse this for procrastination, however).
Agreements from teachers to use non-verbal signals to help him get on track on class (a tap on his shoulder if he was drifting, or a hand on his paper) so as not to embarrass him in class.
Placing his seat closer to the teacher in larger classes so there was a lower chance for distraction
Yearly 504 progress reports and instructions to teachers on ensuring they followed the plan (many teachers resent it, though)
shipoo - the larger issue really, which I hope is helpful down the road, is why your D chose AP Physics when not planning to major in stem. If the GC recommended that, you should note that in the appeal. It’s not really the grade per se, but more the judgement that colleges could question. I would also disclose the LD to colleges so they have the full picture. Good luck.
I really would not expect your school district to do anything if you did not address the issue with your administration. The school district will probably push it back to your school. As long as the teacher graded everyone consistentl, ther will probably be no grade change. I know where I am administrators cant make the teacher change the grade and the teacher has the right to grieve if administration overrides the grade.
sybbie 719 never heard of that ,Requested 504 or IEP from 2nd grade on till 11th grade.In my state only know of people having sucess when school is not agreeable by getting an attorney.My financial circumstances made that not feasible
Did they tell you in writing why your they believe your child was not eligible for services 9while she may not need ICT or SETTS) as mentioned upthreads, she could be given extended time on local and national exams, testing in small room settings, refocusing prompts, etc. even if they said no, you have the right to appeal without lawyering up
sybbie I am addressing issue with administration and there is a trail to follow by the dates things were put into the online portal.In my school district complaint starts at school then goes to district.No they can’t make teacher change a grade but according to education code there are some circumstances that affect that.Also a trail to follow regarding teachers lack of syllabus,homework due dates ( he has homework button on his online page that goes to no where.and more).But I will deal with it with the school and district.Again I was asking for people to share their experience with D’s as seniors not looking to present my case on college confidential.
theloniusmonk There are also grades for labs worth more than 25%The counselor is also not very effective and my kids tend to tell her what they are doing and she offers very little if any advise.Fortunately other daughter has GPA of 4.5 weighted and this daughter her twin has weighted 3.8 and up to this is was never a problemShe has taken before 5 AP classes and honor classes with never less than a B…
People think AP classes are ‘just like college’ and when they are, people want them to be graded like other high school classes. In college she’ll have professors who ‘do it their way’ and don’t use the online grading system, don’t give credit for homework (just expect it to be done).
If her disability is not documented then she will be treated just like everyone else. If she had an IEP but does well in school, they can determine that she doesn’t need accommodations. My friend’s daughter had this happen but she switched from an IEP to a 504, and that continued with her into college; an IEP ends at high school graduation. Her issues weren’t academic but a long list of others.
I think your daughter will find many teachers of ‘this’ type in college. If she needs accommodations, you should get them in place now.
We did not take it higher than the GC. That’s the usual interface with colleges. But D2 had turned in all her work. We were not trying to get a grade changed.
We were interested in damage control at the college. You have a short time to send off the grade report.
I just had a talk about this with D1, who also had trouble with this guy. She rattled off more complaints. And others who fell on his short side, for unknown reasons.
Through all this, I’m not sure why ypur D delayed turning in this work. How late was it?
You need triage. And fast. Not sure the district moves will be timely for the college.
Even if student were decertified as not longer needing an IEP, the student would still be eligible for accommodations under the IEP (extended time, testing modifications, etc) for two years.
There are plenty of students who do well in school and still have special education accommodations or 504s in place.
@twoinanddone, unless things have drastically changed in college, when I went to nursing school in the 80s, pursued another degree at Purdue in the 90s and did post grad work in an internship, I always knew where I stood in my classes because tests, lab write-ups, quizzes, papers, etc., were returned in a timely manner. This way, I knew what I needed to do to improve my grade because I had timely feedback. I also had syllabi for all my classes so I knew what was to be covered and what was expected of me. Just because it’s done with an online portal now shouldn’t matter.
I don’t think it’s too much to ask that teachers provide a syllabus and grade work in a timely manner so students know where they stand in the class and where they can make improvements. I think the OP’s biggest concern was that so many assignments went ungraded for too long, there was no syllabus and a homework assignment without a due date was not accepted. Both the teacher and the student bear responsibility in this process and it seems as though the teacher may not have followed the school’s own rules with posting grades.
Op has twin daughters taking the same course? How did your other daughter do in the course? Was she missing the same assignment (and got dinged for it)?