Making the case for a .2% grade bump

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>I just got my math final back and I came up JUST short of what I needed. The teacher's policy is that an 89.6 and above counts as an A. I got an 89.4 in the class and a 331/360 on the final so I calculated that if I had gotten 3 more points on the final (the final was out of 360 points) so if I had gotten .83% higher, I would have an A in the class. This is a teacher who typically does not bump grades but I hoped that I could present the case to him that coming up 3 points short is so close that the grade is not demonstrative of my abilities in math.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on how to present the best case to him? Extra credit is not an option largely because grades are due this Friday (it's Wednesday today). </p>

<p>-a frustrated/worried math student</p>

2

<p>Your teacher has ALREADY bumped up grades. I don’t think he will be sympathetic at all.</p>

3

<p>What do you mean he has already bumped them?</p>

4

<p>He allows 89.6 and above to be an A (by rounding up), when really it’s supposed to be 90 and above. I don’t think you’re going to have much luck…I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere. A B that’s close to an A is still a B. </p>

5

<p>“coming up 3 points short is so close that the grade is not demonstrative of my abilities in math”</p>

<p>That’s you’re case. Don’t try to embellish it. Keep it just that simple and don’t come off like a jerk or a suck up.</p>

6

<p>^I second that, but it’s still iffy at best if he’ll bump it up. </p>

7

<p>^ He won’t bump it if he has any integrity.</p>

8

<p>At my school, only 93 and up is an A. <em>___</em></p>

9

<p>Same. At my school, a 93+ is an A.
Anyways, don’t even bother trying to get your teacher to raise your grade. You just have to accept it.</p>

10

<p>

You must not know how the world works.</p>

<p>Is he curving the final at all? But seriously, you know him better than we do. You’ll be able to make a case for yourself so long as you talk to him tomorrow. Still, present the option of a .2% extra credit assignment (even if grades are due tomorrow). If you’re in calculus, offer to integrate a vase or a project like that; they love it when you can apply content from the class outside of the class. After you offer it, even if he rejects it, do the assignment. Bring it in first thing on Friday morning, and say that even if he doesn’t bump up the grade, you still learned from the project and believe it polished your skills (or something corny like that). </p>

<p>Note: The project thing worked for me in 3 classes. In two of the classes, the teachers originally said no to the project and that my grade was final. Life tip: In the professional world, no rarely means no. You always put oil on the squeaky wheel. </p>

<p>89.6-100%, an A’s an A as an A. </p>

11

<p>At my high school a 93 was a B and a 94 was an A. </p>

12

<p>My high school has an A as a 95 or higher, except they’re changing it to a 93 next year. That would have been so helpful for me</p>

13

<p>I’ve been talking to a few different folks who’ve been in the same position as I with the same teacher. The final was administered yesterday morning and he had it graded by noon today. For 30 students. An 11-page final. He surely was speeding through it and may have overlooked some potential partial credit. I’m hoping I’ll catch an error or something, but if not, at least I tried. I figured this could be valuable to others in the same position: ALWAYS LOOK OVER THE GRADED TEST TO MAKE SURE YOU GET ALL THE CREDIT POSSIBLE!</p>

14

<p>He’s technically bumping up .6 percent if he gives it to you. </p>

<p>It’s still your fault for even being in the situation in the first place.</p>

15

<p>Still it’s .6%… Many of us have not been bumped up when we are less than .1% of 90% and we all survived.</p>

16

<p>I know how you feel. I got a B+ in English because my teacher wouldn’t bump my grade .5%</p>

17

<p>OP, how’d it work out?</p>

18

<p>You might be able to ask if you can redo another assignment or have an extra-credit opportunity. I was recently in a similar position for a class, although all the percentages of 89.5 and above for my school count as an A, so it was easier in my case.</p>

19

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<p>I would be careful with that. My dad is a professor. If a student asks for more points, my dad will agree to look at that question, but he ALSO looks at the rest of the test with a fine-toothed comb. That could come back to bite you. But I guess you don’t have anything to lose.</p>

20

<p>Can you retake the exam or make up some other work? If you didn’t work for an A, you don’t just magically get one because you think you deserve it. That’s not how life works.</p>