<p>I just got my first semester grades for senior year. Everything was fine, except I received a B in AB calc. I calculated my grade based on the formula the teacher gave at the beginning of the year and figured out that I had a 87, which is a B+. I went to talk to her the next day, and she said that I did have an 87, but that she considers an 87 to be a B rather than a B+. I showed her the part in my school's handbook which specifically states that a B+ includes an 87-89. She simply said that grading is up to her, and she believes that an 87 is a B. She told me (before I even implied that I would) that if I went to my principal to complain, she would give me a 0 for class participation, which would bring me down to a B anyway. I honestly don't think that any college's decision will changed based on the B, but I feel disrespected and I have no idea what to do, and I want the grade that I earned to be reflected in my transcript. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should handle this situation? Thanks!</p>
<p>The grading system is really up to the teacher… my ap chem teacher considered 85.5 to be an A, but then again that class was ridiculously hard lol. Some teachers arent exactly the nicest people in the world, but dont get on their bad side and just let the issue slide.</p>
<p>Um… Yeah. Go and conplain to your principal. She has no right to do that. At my school an 87 to 89 is a B+ as well and a teacher cannot do that. The only way your grade can change is if you do less than 50% of the work and in that case your grade becomes an F, 0%. In terms of GPA, a 3.0 and a 3.4 are very different.</p>
<p>Once she has submitted the grades, you can go to your school counselor and asked that person what to do. The teacher has to follow regulations. We are a country of laws. Just be polite, remain calm, but be persistent. This one point may be mean nothing or may be mean a lot to the school you are applying. Good luck.</p>
<p>I’d leave this one to your parents. They should meet with the principal, noting the teacher’s refusal to follow school policy and her threat. I think it will be taken care of immediately.</p>
<p>“She told me (before I even implied that I would) that if I went to my principal to complain, she would give me a 0 for class participation, which would bring me down to a B anyway.”</p>
<p>Wow. </p>
<p>I suggest e-mailing one your principal or counselor and asking whether or not it is allowed for teachers to use their own grading scale, seeing as I’m sure that different schools/districts have different policies regarding this. If they say yes, well, you’re SOL; If they say no, you have your case. It would also probably be wise of you to add that your teacher posed this very unfair catch 22 intimidation tactic. I’d say it’s important, however, that you spare the name of your teacher in the introductory email… No sense handing it off in case the teacher was (by rule) in the right.</p>
<p>Oh, and if you can, switch teachers for semester 2.</p>
<p>You might first want to determine what leeway the teacher has when someone is on the borderline between two marks. Ana1: “We are a country of laws”? This is not a legal matter. The teacher may or may not have discretion in this matter, according to school policy. Until the OP and his/her parents seeks clarification from administration on that point, it’s an open question whether the teacher is overreaching her authority. This is not a matter of letting go, but of seeking further information before getting your knickers in a twist.</p>
<p>Crossposted with experientiadocet.</p>
<p>If you will have the same teacher again next semester (and I’m assuming you will), I would let this go. As a teacher, I would make certain that you received no benefit of the doubt ever again if you pursued contacting the administration for a borderline grade. If you’ve ever gotten partial credit, some grace for late homework, or any other act of charity, I’d suppose you’d never get that again. It seems a high priced gamble to prove a point about a B+.
Tread lightly here!</p>
<p>spanky12, </p>
<p>Few students would take the time to re-calculate their semester grades in order to determine whether they have a B+ instead of a B, which makes me wonder if you have made a real pest of yourself this past semester in your Calculus class, or if you have created a reputation for yourself among the teachers at your school because you’ve done this sort of thing in other classes. That B is not going to change the mind of a single college admissions officer. Examine your reasons for believing that you have a right to a grade that your teacher does not feel you have earned. Then re-read what mom3030 wrote in post #8. It may be best to just let this one go.</p>
<p>Happymomof1- I definitely did not make a “pest” of myself in my class. Our quarter grades are derived from 2 test, which count for 80%, then 10% homework and 10% class participation. Each quarter counts 40% and the midterm counts 20%. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t calculate their grade with such an easy formula. I know how to act and how to avoid ****ing off a teacher, and have had excellent relationships with every single teacher I’ve had prior to my experience in AB calc. This teacher has a horrible reputation at my school, but unfortunately I attend a public school where seniority is the most important quality a teacher can have (yes, more important than teaching skills) and since she’s been working at my school for over 40 years, she gets to keep her job until she wants to retire. </p>
<p>The problem here isn’t that she doesn’t feel that I earned a B+, but that she thinks an 87 is a B when my school’s handbook clearly states that an 87 is a B+. I’m also not super happy about the fact that she threatened to give me a zero in class participation.</p>
<p>I emailed my counselor earlier today, and she even said that my teacher is not someone who wants to play by the rules, and there isn’t anything that can be done unless my mom gets involved. My mom only speaks Russian…</p>
<p>I guess at this point I just have to move on and deal with taking her class for the rest of the next semester. Thanks everyone for the great advice!</p>
<p>
First of all, the grade is not borderline. Assuming OP is accurately quoting the student handbook, it’s a clear B+. Second, I find it distressing to now hear of a second teacher who would retaliate against a student for challenging a grade. How sad that some of our students are taught by individuals with little regard for rules or ethics.</p>
<p>OP, sorry your mother can’t step in here. Is there another English-speaking adult who would be willing to run interference for you? I agree that you shouldn’t pursue this yourself. Given the unprofessionalism of your teacher and the administrators who refuse to rein her in, it’s a risky path.</p>
<p>Makes me want to march over to the principal’s office myself, frankly.</p>
<p>Here’s a direct quoting of my school’s handbook:</p>
<p>“Grades are assigned on a 4.0 system:
A+ 100-97
A (4.00) 93-96
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B (3.00) 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C (2.00) 73-76
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D (1.00) 63-66
D- 62-60”</p>
<p>It definitely says that an 87 is a B+ </p>
<p>My dad is educated and speaks English, but he lives in a different state and I haven’t talked to him in a while. I’ll ask him if he can help, but I doubt he’ll be willing to do anything.</p>
<p>I think i’ll talk to my homeroom teacher and see if she has any suggestion just because she knows the administration and all that…</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of the help :)</p>
<p>What is your school district’s policy about providing a translator for parent-teacher and parent-administrator meetings? If they routinely make translators available, you mom would be able to have one for a meeting with your guidance counselor and/or the teacher and/or the school principal about this issue. You should not be the one doing the translation yourself in this situation, it should be a neutral party.</p>
<p>One issue that would be worth clarifying with the school administration, is the amount of flexibility that instructors are given in determining grades. Yes, there is a standard percentage that converts to a certain grade, however there may also be a general practice by which teachers are permitted to give whole grades rather than fractional grades at their discretion provided that the teacher is consistent in his/her grading system. In other words, your Calculus teacher may not award plus and minuses at all - which would have been a good thing to know at the beginning of the course.</p>
<p>Anyone who awards grades hates to be questioned about it, but sometimes it is worth asking them anyway. Several years ago I had what I believed to be an absolutely wrong grade in a class I had taken, and after checking the university grading policy, the instructor’s posted syllabus, etc. I finally got brave enough to ask about it. She was delighted that I’d asked! It turned out that the university’s online grade calculations were messed up for everyone in that course. There had been some horrible data-base error that was rectified after she showed the computer techs her manual calculations for our grades. We all saw our grades go up! If your teacher puts the percentages into the system, then the B (rather than B+) might not be her fault at all.</p>
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<p>There is so much wrong with this. First, there is nothing wrong with checking a grade, I don’t see how reputation plays a role into this. Seriously, you’re gonna rag on someone for checking their grades? Somebody wants to verify their final marking and it leads you to wonder if they’re a “pest”? Second, if the OP would have happened to have garnered a reputation for doing this, well, frankly, I’d say there are worse reputations to have than caring about your grades and proactively ensuring that you get ones you deserve. I’m sure many teachers would agree. Third, the OP’s reasoning for believing that they have a right to a grade the teacher doesn’t think they deserve is in the clearly outlined grading scale in the school handbook. That, comrade, is completely valid under any examination.</p>
<p>mom3030 and absweet are correct to say that you ought to tread lightly. However, you also ought to stand up for yourself. IF the teacher is not allowed to use her own grade scale, then she gave you a worse grade than you deserve and you have the right to correct it.</p>
<p>My kid only received one B in his entire school career from elementary school through high school. When he was in the 7th grade, his teacher gave him a B in science class. Science was his best subject and it was so out of character that we called up the school to have a meeting with the teacher and the school’s VP. My son warned us that his teacher was crazy and a meeting would not do any good. We did not believe him. Kids exaggerate right? Upon meeting the teacher, I realized why he had received a B and that it was a lost cause. The teacher was a bitter woman close to retirement who proudly confessed that she gave my son a B because he asked too many questions in class. She declared that she designed the class to accommodate the lowest levels of achievement and that my son was disruptive to the class by wanting to go beyond the information given and engage her in discussion. Basically, she had no time for smart kids, didn’t like smart kids and purposefully dummed down the class. She then told us that she was angry and annoyed with my son’s inquisitiveness. She told us right in front of the VP that my kid should just shut up and not raise his hand in class anymore. I was floored that a teacher like this existed and remained employed. The VP was unmoved and offered no opinion – she was new and appeared fresh out of school herself. There were no other science classes open for my kid to transfer to and we were stuck with a teacher that was openly hostile to my kid who had straight A’s and near perfect citizenship in every other class. So, I just took my kid aside and told him that he was right when he told me the teacher was crazy and I added that she was an idiot too. I told him that we believed him and that unfortunately the world was filled with crazy idiots and it was time to learn how to deal with them. So, my kid sucked it up and for the rest of the year never asked another question in class. He got straight A’s in science for the rest of the year and didn’t learn a damn thing other than that there are crazy idiots in the world and sometimes we have no control over them. Sounds like the same situation here.</p>
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<p>Is this for real? This is the lesson you wanted to teach your 7th grader? That the world is “filled with crazy idiots”? What I like about the OP’s post is that he or she has remained respectful even when questioning the teacher’s decision. </p>
<p>Sorry your son got a B in 7th grade science. Sounds like it was very traumatic for everyone involved.</p>
<p>What Osaka Dad was saying (about the crazy idiot issue) is that he was using that dreadful experience as a ‘teachable moment.’ I, for one, applaud him for it. He realized that there was nothing he was going to do to ‘help’ this situation and that the best thing for his kid to do was to suck it up and play by this particular person’s warped sense of reality. </p>
<p>This is something that I have been faced with many times in my career. Unfortunately, I did not have someone like Osaka Dad to tell me that I was going to have to deal with a a lot of crazies in this world (not to mention idiots.) I have now realized some hard lessons (in my 30’s) that I wish I would have learned in my teens. </p>
<p>Kudos Osaka Dad! I am truly sorry for what your son went through, but you are to be commended for the way that you handled the situation.</p>
<p>I get the concept of a “teachable moment.” I don’t get idea of labeling a teacher a “crazy idiot.” My D is a senior in high school. She and I have disagreed with some of her teachers’ methods. It happens. You discuss it. Maybe OsakaDad’s perfect citizen of a son was capable of understanding that “crazy idiot” is a label that one should use sparingly in civil society. Maybe. But I wouldn’t trust even the most intelligent of 7th graders to have that level of maturity. Of course, as parents, we need to teach our kids that it is occasionally necessary to accommodate people in positions of power who may seem unreasonable (and other times, IMO, when you need teach them to speak out, even when it may not pay off in the short-term or ever). OsakaDad says the “VP was unmoved.” That suggests a couple of possibilities to me: Either the teacher in question really was a difficult person whom the school administration feared and was unwilling to take on OR that there is more to the story than OsakaDad is sharing.</p>
<p>Personal issues aside, it does sound to me as though the teacher does not feel OP earned a B+. A teacher has every right to determine his or her own grading scale, although it should be stated in the course syllabus. It is very common in universities for each instructor/course to have its own grading scale. The teacher in question was definitely in the wrong for not making the student aware of the grading scale. But what is the difference between using a “harsher” grading scale and simply grading a little more harshly? The end result is the same. The teacher determines performance criteria, and feels you earned a B in the course. I don’t see a thing wrong with this, other than how the teacher chose to handle the conversation.</p>