<p>Kids that aren't particularly smart at all at my school can get AT LEAST a 3.8 taking 3 AP classes per year if they put in a decent amount of work.
The thing is, their test and AP scores are almost always unusually low for someone who gets that kind of a GPA. </p>
<p>The thing is, many students that go to private schools get low test scores. If it is that hard to get a high GPA, should their test scores at least be high?</p>
<p>I went to a "normal" (not magnet) public high school and earned a 3.6-3.7 uw. I don't recall studying particularly hard. In fact, I considered myself downright lazy. But I got 5's on every AP test I took (7 in all) so you can't really blame my 3.6 on grade inflation. I think grade inflation only occurs at the public magnets because all the kids are so grade concious and teachers are under pressure to inflation grades.</p>
<p>badkarma89: no, high gpa does not equal high test scores. i mean obviously somebody with a 2.0 isn't going to get above 1700 and somebody with a 4.0 isn't going to get below a 1700. but gpa is only a reflection on how hard you work</p>
<p>Pearl, you said :
"And there are minorities from disadvantaged backgrounds who work hard, exceed and do very well (neuro surgeon Dr. Ben Carson, as one example). Not fair that they have an advantage in admissions over the rich, white, boy from the North? Boo hoo. Not fair that some of the rich, white boys from the North also have the advantage of their senator father/mother/uncle/cousin or whatever, but it is a fact of life and I don't see nearly the whining about that as the minority issue"</p>
<p>WONDERFUL, IT IS NOT PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TO FIND 1 DISADVANTAGED PERSON ON THE PLANET TO MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT. </p>
<p>AND ITS ALSO GREAT HOW PEOPLE JUSTIFY THIS BY SAYING THAT IF YOU ARE NOT DISADVANTAGED, YOU SHOULD HAVE LEGACY AT SCHOOLS AND BE CONNECTED TO "SENATORS".
NEWS FLASH: THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS, WHO ARE PUT AT A LARGE DISADVANTAGE BY THE HELPING OF THE DISADVANTAGED, DO NOT HAVE ANY SPECIAL CONNECTIONS. NOT EVERYONE WHO GOES TO A DECENT HIGH SCHOOL IS RICH AND PAMPERED. AND EVEN IF THEY ARE, NO SCHOOL HANDS OUT A'S ON A SILVER PLATTER. MOREOVER, THERE IS NO ADMISSIONS BOX TO CHECK THAT ASKS IF YOU KNOW A LOCAL SENATOR. IS IT FAIR THAT THE FAMILY WITH BOTH PARENTS WORKING NEVER QUALIFY FOR ANY FINANCIAL AID? IS IT FAIR THAT THE KIDS WHO ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THEIR EDUCATION GET REJECTED WHILE A LESS QUALIFIED CANDIDATE GETS IN???</p>
<p><a href="http://webhistorysite.homestead.com/EXAM.html%5B/url%5D">http://webhistorysite.homestead.com/EXAM.html</a>
that's the breakdown my APWH teacher did of our class
we did... OK. But you can kind of see for my public school at least, the breakdown of passes to waht their grade was in the class. </p>
<p>He improves grades for a passing grade to an A. A 3 gives ytou an A-, a 4 and a 5 gives you an A. Call it grade inflation... well it probably is, but people were getting Cs in the class who were very smart and he felt that if they can pass the AP test they deserve an A. Few teachers at the school do that though.</p>
<p>I will be a Junior next year. There are 810 or so kids in the class. the breakdown is basically. All A's, no b's at all, will land you in the top 10. I am number 2 with a 4.5. A 4.1 will give you mid 20s. A 4.0 even gets you barely top 5 percent. To stay in top 10 percent you need about a 3.9. To expect to stay in the top 10, you can not get a B throughout the 4 years.</p>
<p>Its downhill from there
a 2.0 is something like 500/800
rest is... ya</p>
<p>however, my school scored the best on the state tests out of everyone in San Bernardino County. (which, is darn big)</p>
<p>there are some classes where its easy to get an A, some which are very hard. Out of 60 people in Honors Algebra 2, 6 got A's, considering many in the class had never had a B. The AP bio teacher expects 4 kids of 70 to get A's, yet a 92 percent pass rate. </p>
<p>Its unrealistic to make a universal curriculum (without it being government subsidised and that doesn't work too well), so accept it as it is, do well on your APs and Sats, and quit whining so much because there's not much to do.</p>
<p>I have a question for those of you who think those of us at public schools have "inflated grades." How exactly do those grades get inflated? Does the teacher just decide, "oh I like this kid let's give him an A." NO he doesn't! I go to public school and work my butt off to have a high GPA. I have to take tests, write papers, etc. Does the teacher just "fake" the grade of the test? Again, no he doesn't. The answer is either write or wrong. There's no possibe way to "fake" the grades. I think you just need to stop thinking so highly of yourself because you got such a "great education." I know I'm getting one too even if I am at a public school.</p>
<p>I go to a medical magnet school....and I know that I can't compare middle school and elementary school to high school, but when I was in middle school I was probably the smartest ones there (they unofficially ranked us to get into magnet schools; I was like 1-3/300). At my high school, I'm probably top 20%. The high school I'm suppose to go to is very easy; they don't get much homework, and there tests are easy (according to my friends that go there). At my school, I don't know why, but I don't perform very well. Maybe it's the stress or the competition; I don't know. </p>
<p>It is inflated at the high school I'm suppose to go to. It isn't like you get points off and faking grades, but it's more like the teacher assumes that you did good work, and that you could do no wrong.</p>
<p>jsal6748: "The answer is either write or wrong"</p>
<p>Our mistake, you must be getting a great education!</p>
<p>Oracle:
"but gpa is only a reflection on how hard you work" (should be "of")</p>
<p>Don't be so quick to point out grammar errors!</p>
<p>"A 3 gives ytou an A-, a 4 and a 5 gives you an A. "</p>
<p>yeah.. see people at my school would cry if they got a 3 on an AP exam.</p>
<p>At my school the AP exams count as the final exam (and generally bring people's grades up a decent amount) so a 5 is an A, 4 is a B+, 3 is a B- I don't know of anyone who has gotten a 3 except maybe a senior or two who stopped caring at all and didn't study (we have to take the AP exams)</p>
<p>namtrag, true, "of" is a possible alternative to on. yet in this case, I think "on" better conveys the intended meaning of my sentence. </p>
<p>lol... I guess it wasn't clear enough that I was joking.</p>
<p>Why is this thread still going on?</p>
<p>Your GPA doesn't matter as much as however much you learn. Quit worrying about it.</p>
<p>A question for the private school students indignant that public school is (allegedly) easier:</p>
<p>If you truly believe that public school students have it better, why not save your thousands of dollars' worth of tuition and go public?</p>
<p>The reason well-to-do children and their parents spend vast sums on elite education is that it puts these children at an advantage, both in the college application process and throughout their lives. Clients of elite schools have access to the technology resources, high-quality teachers, English-speaking student body, freedom from fear of violence/urban problems, guidance counselors oriented toward college admissions (as opposed to community college/military recruitment), family connections, and parental support, that will lead to strong college applications overall. </p>
<p>Academic rigor is a main selling point at elite schools. Private academies advertise themselves as pushing their students to their full potential. Like strenuous exercise, however, strenuous academics are painful even when the participant knows that the strain, the exercise, is improving his/her abilities - abilities that will produce high SAT scores, strong application essays, a long list of academic awards, etc. Yet some of the students who are being pushed to higher achievements envy those who do not share their privilege of having been placed in challenging programs. </p>
<p>"I consider myself lucky that I didn't have to deal with the types of distractions at public schools, but with private school a whole new set of distractions is present. The competition is fierce, with the caliber of students attending so high, among other things."</p>
<p>It would be wonderful if more could concentrate more on the first words of that quotation. This site is perpetually flooded with resentment of minorities' admission chances and poor students' financial aid chances, but I have yet to see a post that says, "I benefited from my family's socioeconomic status, am grateful for the privilege I was given, and don't begrudge the others whatever resources are set in place for them." As for the second half of the quotation, about the hardship of living among highly-motivated peers well, if you cant stand the heat, theres a simple and economical solution </p>
<p>MaryCeleste: well, if you cant stand the heat, theres a simple and economical solution </p>
<p>lol... good point...i totally agree with you. </p>
<p>i guess what everyone who has some resentment for the disadvantaged people accepted to colleges better than them is that </p>
<p>for there entire lives, they have played by the rules. they have parents who may have sacrificed time with their children to take a higher paying job so the kids could go to a school with trees instead of gangs. these kids, instead of playing video games, do community service, join a boring club, get the high grades (of course this is all for college...but atleast they care enough to do something).</p>
<p>Then all of a sudden ...people who didn't work hard in school, people who didn't do any EC's, people who really don't care about college, are getting accepted! </p>
<p>there is a luther vandross song that best summarizes everything i am trying to say:</p>
<p>Before you make your mind up, hear me
I just want you to see things clearly
This should be about love, not money
Dont let him try to take you from me
I dont wanna have to apologize
I dont wanna feel Ive been penalized
Just cause I can drive in a better car
Live in a bigger house just like a superstar
He says that I can only give you
Material things, but thats not true
You see my heart is rich with love for you
Dont let him make you doubt my love for you
Yeah, baby
I work hard for my money
No one gave it to me
But some fools think the deeper the pocket
The smaller the heart will be, not true
Im only tryin to share me with you
Look at all the lovin we do
Find the meaning in the words Im sayin
Im not just another player playin
I dont wanna have to apologize (or give a damn)
And I dont appreciate being criticized (for who I am)
Just cause I can buy you a lotta things
Or take you anyplace
Thats just what money brings
He wants you to believe that Im tryin to buy your love
Cause thats what he would do
He thinks since hes a man with nothing
That hes got better love for you
No way
Tell him now, let him go
Or I can no longer be yours
Tell him how you feel about me
I cant keep standing on the side
Dont let him fill your mind with lies about me
Leave him with his fallacies
I dont care what bull he believes
Tell him that enough is enough
Just dont return a disbeliever
Youve always been a willing receiver of my love
I dont think I have to apologize (I work for this)
I dont wanna feel like Im penalized (for being rich)
Doesnt bother me where he thinks I stand
Im bein my true self
Just doin what I can
He thinks I won you with materiality
But honey, you know thats not so
And even if he understood me
Its simply time for him to go---so let him go!
I dont wanna change you
cause Im in love with who you are
So I dont wanna apologize for bein a superstar
Havent I proved that Im here for you?
What am I guilty of?
What did or didnt I do?
Maybe I cant be myself with somebody
Who believes such things are true
Im losing self-respect from trying
Im losing my desire too---I cant do it
I dont wanna have to apologize (or give a damn)
I dont wanna feel Ive been penalized (for who I am)
Just cause I can buy you a lotta things
Or take you anyplace
Thats just what money brings
He wants you to believe that Im tryin to buy your love
Cause thats what he would do</p>
<p>another thing: at least half of the people at the public school in my town are of the same or higher socioeconomic status that I am, so I don't see why that should have anything to do with the grade inflation and obvious lack of rigor of their courses. I don't know why they don't go to private school but they clearly have the resources to do so. Just because someone decides to go to public school doesn't mean they aren't well off. They do have free SAT prep classes and spend large amounts of class time preparing the kids for the SAT (which I think is ridiculous) yet they still have a majority of the kids who are getting 3.8s or even 4.0s get 1900 on their SATs</p>
<p>and those kids dont get accepted over you right?</p>
<p>and if you're in a decent public school area why go to a private school? public schools in high socioeconomic areas usually draw better teachers, get more resources, etc</p>
<p>yeah except sometimes they do because they have a better gpa and the public school is considered "one of the best in the state" (HAH! i'm afraid to see how easy some of the other schools are) so the GPA supposedly means something... right. </p>
<p>I go to private school because I experienced the public school system for a while in middle school and I was horrified. Most of the people at my current school actually care about others, have morals, have manners, etc. Class discussions are interesting, we are actually getting prepared for college work, and it's overall a better environment for me</p>
<p>You guys should come to S. Korea and in particular a "special highschool" for more 'advanced' students where grade DEFLATION is set as the law by the government. That's why grades really don't mean anything but only rank in our schools.
I received all A+ in all Pre-AP and AP classes in the U.S. and I got a 2330 on my SAT's but I have to study...oh I don't know maybe 50times harder here to barely maintain a low A or high B. I just try to console myself with my ranking, which is why I REALLY hope the top schools put emphasis on class rank.</p>
<p>Hey...here's a consoling thought though.
Even if those kids from grade inflation highschools get accepted into better universities, if they don't have what it really takes to achieve high scores, they'll only hurt their college grades which are what really matters when continuing on to graduate school or getting jobs. On the other hand, kids from grade deflation schools will find college a walk in the park and achieve superb grades even if that may be in an average university. Besides, graduate school is more important than undergraduate.</p>
<p>jh1200 ...um.... 1) most people don't go to graduate school 2) college grades don't matter for most jobs</p>
<p>if s. korea is such a great place, why are you getting an education in America?</p>
<p>Yes, I agree. Luckily for me, I have a uw GPA of 4.00 at a private school w/o serious grade inflation. I'm the only kid in my class to get all A's and am ranked #1. There's this one gay (yes, he is homosexual, not using as an insult) Japanese kid who is like my rival (in his view anyway) who got a B in P.E. Freshman year. It won't count on his application, but it does affect the rank. He's just waiting for me to get a B, lol. But yes, grade inflation is a SERIOUS problem, especially in public schools.</p>