What does pass/fail look like on HS transcript? How 'bout a C?

Parents Forum
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<p>Our high school allows kids to take on pass/fail each year if they want. The kids are told that their experience is that colleges will weight a pass/fail as a C. In our school the kids can either take the p/f or the grade at the end of the period, which ever is better so you aren’t out anything if you take a p/f and get a C or less.</p>

<p>I would be concerned about what it would look like on a transcript of a junior more so than a senior. If the student is beyond his years in math, why is he doing so poorly in that class? That would be my take if I were in admissions–but I am not so who knows what they think :).</p>

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<p>Yep, S1 was on that same track starting w/ Alg.1 in 7th grade. A lot of the kids in his grade went “too far,too fast” and couldn’t keep up the pace in high school. After Pre-Cal honors as sophs, some hit a math wall. If they didn’t think they could make it through Calc. AB, they took discrete math jr. year and then AP Stats. Our school system requires four years of math to graduate. H.S.Math classes taken in middle sch. don’t count toward the four years. It just fulfills a requirement. That’s where so many kids here get messed up.</p>

<p>So what does your S think the best option is?</p>

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<p>He would like to turn this around as his first option. But he thinks we should look into how going pass/fail would work from a logistical standpoint as well as how it could affect college admissions, just in case.</p>

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<p>OP’s Quote: “The teacher, who is willing to work with him in the mornings and at lunch, thinks a tutor would be wasting our money.”</p>

<p>This is what DS’s teacher said too. I think it makes them look bad when they have too many kids in the class needing tutors. But we went ahead and got him a one anyway and it was the best thing we could have done. Tutor has whole different teaching style and approach that resonates with S. He’s pulling a solid B now.</p>

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<p>Interesting, cbug. I’m guessing the teacher has no idea how many kids he has who have tutors. I dropped one name at the mtg, and he acted surprised that this kid had a tutor. According to ds, “This kid has a tutor for everything.” ;)</p>

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<p>Saw this blog link posted on another thread, and the most recent post coincidentally talks about a situation nearly identical to yours: [W&M</a> Blogs Overheard in Committee: What Happens in Committee Doesn’t Stay in Committee](<a href=“http://blogs.wm.edu/2012/02/29/overheard-in-committee-what-happens-in-committee-doesnt-stay-in-committee/]W&M”>http://blogs.wm.edu/2012/02/29/overheard-in-committee-what-happens-in-committee-doesnt-stay-in-committee/)
Basically, relax. If he does get a C, it will still be ok.</p>

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<p>The girl who got the math award at DD’s school had a tutor all through HS. Seemed odd to us, but the playing field is not level.</p>

<p>The problem with my son, whose first choice was also to turn it around, was that he thought he understood it, so he would skip the tutor.</p>