As title says, my teacher graded my final exam grade incorrectly on purpose. I got a C in the class when I should have gotten B in the class. Since I was suspicious of my final exam grade because I knew he hated me so much, I went to review my final exam yesterday, and I was shocked. My teacher took off 25 points on my final exam grade for no reason. Even though I knew my teacher did not like me, I never doubted he would grade my final exam grade incorrectly on purpose.
I am a senior, and I already applied colleges with C in the transcript. I had a meeting with a department chair today, and he agreed that my grade was graded incorrectly and should be fixed. He said he would contact my counselor and contact colleges I applied as soon as possible about this wrong grade.
What should I do? I am so worried that contacting colleges at this point would not matter at all and colleges would be suspicious why I contacted them about grading at this point when they are already in deep reviewing. I already contacted my colleges why I got C (explaining hardships during last semester) in the class because I have been all A’s student, and it turned out that I should have gotten B. My parents and I are so upset about this situation. My teacher did not like me for some reasons since last semester started. It never happened to me before, so I really do not how to handle this situation. He only graded my final exam incorrectly. Should I report this to my county?
I can’t really describe how much tremendous amount of stress I got from him and the grade from his class. Would this affect my college decision? I do not want colleges to think that I am a kind of student that teachers do not like.
Colleges get all kinds of updated information from high schools, including some transcripts with corrections. In a week or two, follow up with the GC to see if it was sent.
Agreed, mistakes happen for whatever reason. Just be sure that the grade is corrected and an updated transcript is sent to all college you have applied to. And if you have the same teacher in the spring semester try to switch out (if possible), have a conversation and try to smooth things over, or arrange in advance for the dept. chair to grade your final exam.
You’ve done about all that you can do. Follow up with the GC tomorrow to ask whether he/she will send the corrected transcript and ask whether he/she will also write a note on your behalf. If not, you could send an e-mail to the admissions rep at each of the colleges to which you’ve applied to let them know the corrected transcript is coming.
My concern is that if you really were a straight-A student that two-grade drop will stand out. It leaves the adcom wondering what happened. I’d want to make sure they see that B ASAP.
Don’t be concerned about colleges thinking you’re “the kind of student teachers don’t like”. The revised transcript will be sent with a message that there was simply an error in the earlier version. No one is going to get into the details of how the error happened (even assuming the department head buys the idea that the exam was graded erroneously on purpose–which is unlikely).
@bjkmom you honestly think that a teacher made a 25 point addition error?
The poster said that the teacher took off 25 points without reason and that the administrator agreed that the 25 points should not have been deducted. Teachers are human and there are bad ones. Some are even child molesters. Others are sociopaths. Just like the general population. Things like this do happen, unfortunately. And it does not mean that the poster ever did end thing to “make” the teacher dislike him. The teacher might just have “issues.” In any case, the poster should follow up with the GC to make sure that the correction with a note explaining the “mistake” immediately.
If I were the parent, I would attend a board of Ed meeting and alert the board of what happened.
I would also press that the teacher’s behavior be addressed formally.
If I were the student I would also email every admissions officer immediately and alert them that there was a mistake made by the school and that the updated and correct transcript is on its way. I would not send any further info about it.
I hope it all works out!
I will admit that I’ve made errors grading. Probably not 25 point ones, but yes, I’ve made errors.
We have a 26 window hour in which to grade our trimester exams, do failure reports and report cards. And somewhere in that pile of exams is number 180, the one I’m grading when I’m still sitting in the faculty room well after dark, bleary eyed and getting by on caffeine, knowing that I still have to get all 180 grades onto the computer, proofread, and do those failure reports for guidance counselors before I can go home.
It’s amazingly easy to hit the wrong key on a calculator.
So yeah, with those child molesters and sociopaths, there are a surprising number of us who simply do the best we can and who make the occasional error.
And, as a parent, I would absolutely NOT go to the Board of Ed to report a grading error. It would destroy any credibility I ever hoped to have. In the event that I ever needed them to take me seriously about anything, that report would kill any chances I had.
Agree that if the department head is changing the test and course grade, the updated transcripts should be sent out by the GC with a notation that it is an updated, corrected transcript and should replace the one in file. The end.
This was not presented as a grading error.
And, if a teacher makes a big enough “mistake” that people believe it could seriously hamper an otherwise straight A student’s chances at gaining admission to the colleges to which he applied, and others believe might have not been a “mistake” at all, it should not be reported? Curious as to why that would be a “clueless misstep?” Or why it would destroy a parent’s credibility?
Should it be left alone so that (if this teacher does have “issues”) the teacher can continue to make these types of “mistakes” that might carry very serious negative consequences for students that he “doesn’t like?”
Most teachers are amazing. But, like in every field, there are a few who are bad people.
If this teacher is one of them, he should be reported.
I’ve seen videos of bad teachers bullying special needs kids, hitting kids, cursing at kids. There are also teachers who use grading as a form of power. Though it is the exception, it does happen and when it does it needs to be properly and formally addressed.
@2018eastorwest Keep in mind that we have only been presented with the student’s point of view. You seem to have convicted and sentenced the teacher based on that.
@TomSrOfBoston Yes, you are correct - I am basing my opinion only on what I’ve read here, specifically the fact that the Head of the Department agreed with the student that the 25 points should not have been deducted. If that is not a fact, then of course I might feel very differently.
Also, it would not be my place to convict or sentence the teacher, which is why I suggested that if I were the parent of a straight A student who appeared to be maliciously mis-graded by a teacher who subtracted 25 points “for no reason”, and the Head of the Dept. agreed, and my child had already applied to schools who might not admit him based on the questionable actions of this teacher, I would go the Board of Ed so that there could be some deliberation about what had actually happened and then the Board could decide to wither convict and sentence or not. If I truly believed that the teacher had done what the student is accusing, then I would not allow it to go without making sure that it was being properly addressed.
Going to the school board is a misstep because at this point it appears that the school is handling it. A single grading mistake that was corrected is not something that the school board is going to care about.
As others have said, simply follow up to make sure the corrected transcript does get sent. Nothing more to do and I doubt anyone reviewing your application will give any thought to why your transcript might have been corrected. Mistakes happen for all kinds of reasons.
The fact that the department head agreed that the points should not have been deducted does not mean that he agrees that the teacher did anything on purpose.