Final exams are this week and I am extremely worried about my AP Human Geo score. I have the highest score in class (87%, still not good I know) and I was hoping to bring it up to a 90% with my semester exam. The thing is that my AP HG teacher has decided to average out all of our scores so that we all get one exam score. So if I manage to get 100% but my classmates have like a 50%, we’ll all get 75%. I don’t mean to sound arrogant or put down my classmates, but on every test so far none of them have managed to get over 70%, so I’m pretty sure this semester exam will bring my grade down even lower. I’m super worried because I’m planning to apply to some Ivy Leagues + other top schools this year, and I don’t want this one grade to affect their decision.
My question is should I maybe like make a note of this in the additional comments section of my common app? We have tried to change the teacher’s mind, but he refuses to do it. He already ran it by the principal, and she reluctantly agreed, so I don’t think going to the principal would work either.
I would also talk to your counselor saying that you want to be exempt from that policy because it is extremely unfair for you!! Counselors are your best friends in these situations!
Thank you for your response!! @UofMichigan1999 we were told not to discuss this with anyone, including the counselor and other teachers plus the principal has the final say and she’s already agreed. I will try and see if my classmates would be willing to talk to her as a class, though.
@Conformist1688 Yes, she stopped by our class to say that she “didn’t like it, but accepted it.” I am hoping that this is all just one big joke and after the exam my teacher will be like “haha i got u guys good lmao!!!”
“we were told not to discuss this with anyone, including the counselor and other teachers plus the principal has the final say and she’s already agreed.”
This sounds bizarre to me. If the principal has (reluctantly) agreed, why the secrecy? Maybe it’s time for a parent or parents to get involved?
I think your teacher is trying to prove a point. He/She might be giving you a practical example of socialism/collectivism. Many students don’t understand it without an example relevant to their lives. Good luck on your exam!
Are your parents involved? If you were my child, I’d have a chat with the guidance counselor, the principal, and the school board (in that order). The principal may be reluctant to override a teacher, but the school board (which is elected by the community) won’t likely be as reticent if a contigent of unhappy parents start showing up at board meetings to complain.
@TooOld4School may have the answer but, if that is what is going on, I think it might violate the rules for human experimentation developed in the wake of the abysmal “prisoner” experiment at Stanford back in 1971.
I am reconsidering this issue now. Some teachers do this, sorry to say. My D had a teacher in tenth grade who did it.
I emailed the teacher, listed all of my daughter’s grades in that class, and insisted she give my daughter the grade she had earned. This was after a couple of attempts on my daughter’s part to do it herself. The teacher changed the grade.
I would absolutely get the parents involved. You earned your grade. I guarantee if the parents make a fuss, the teacher will be forced to reconsider. I would ask your parents to CC the district superintendent too on any email communications.
It could be sheer laziness. Why bother to grade the tests at all if everyone is going to be ‘average’? I’ve seen this type of grading on group/team projects, but never for an entire class.
plus the principal has the final say and she’s already agreed. I will try and see if my classmates would be willing to talk to her as a class, though.