<p>D. didn’t do well in the last APUSH test. They’ve had 3 tests so far. The teacher is offering some extra credits…
OK back to watch the debate.</p>
<p>D is reviewing for the SAT Bio subject test–she took it in June and is retaking it this Saturday hoping to improve her score. But she also has an 8 page essay for Global History due on Friday; it helps that she got 100 on an in-class essay 2 weeks ago but she’s still a bit stressed about it. </p>
<p>She’s also prepping 2 new pieces, a prose reading and a poetry reading for a Speech/Debate tournament on Saturday afternoon. </p>
<p>Now she’s realizing why I kept reminding her to review Bio in the summer and early September when she wasn’t busy with schoolwork and activities!</p>
<p>I tried to write a long, newsy update yesterday, and CC kept rejecting it! Lets see if this goes through today.</p>
<p>D is taking zero standardized tests this year, unless we decide that AP USH is doable. Her class is not supposed to conform to the AP curriculum, but the teacher told parents at Parent’s Day that she expected kids would be prepared for it.</p>
<p>D has a standing Saturday commitment to an outside orchestra, so I don’t want to cram in any standardized testing. She did get some done (SAT Bio and Math 2 Subject exams) last spring. FWIW, crepes, D found the SAT Bio graded much more harshly than the AP exam. I think the scale is just really, really tough.</p>
<p>This is a long weekend for D’15. H and I are going to visit D’12 and D’15 is staying with some nearby family. I’m just glad the weekend is long so I get <em>some</em> time with her. First quarter is over next week!</p>
<p>Here’s my little rant about D’s English class. She had a summer assignment (read a book, write a 4 page essay) that the teacher graded really hard - he told them this. I just realized that this grade will make up 40% of her over-all semester grade. This is a grade given on work before they had any instruction in the class, so I don’t understand how that reflects what they should have learned. Does anybody think that’s kind of crazy? Maybe he’ll end up giving them some sort of break, but maybe not. I just think that’s strange.</p>
<p>suzy - I agree. 40% of the grade is based on something done before they’ve taken one day of the class is crazy. A similar thing happened to one of my sons in AP Lit. Huge summer project, didn’t get graded until the final week of the quarter and made up about 75% of the grade. He went from an A in the class to a C 3 days before the quarter ended with no other points or assignment coming in. Stupid.</p>
<p>Umm, yeah, I agree that’s wrong. We had a couple of papers based on summer reading (they have 4 books to read, one that all 10th graders read, a free choice and 2 for pre-AP). The two papers were a lot of the grade but were BASED on summer reading, the assignment was given in class and the papers were done in early September.</p>
<p>My only problem with it was our fault…D got all the books from the library, read them early in summer and returned them. Oops…two were needed in hand for the papers. We had to scramble a bit.</p>
<p>But doing the paper before class even starts, and having it be worth 40%?? Why?</p>
<p>My dear daughter had a summer English assignment. It’s a big assignment so it was counted as a big project in the grade. She worked hard at it in the summer. I think she did a great job. It was due a week ago and she didn’t take it to school!!! So she got 0 in that big project. Her grade went from 98 to 85! She cried and took it to school the next day. Her dear teacher gave her partial credit. Something she has to learn from bad experiences.</p>
<p>Oh Maxwell, reading that made me cringe. Your poor D! :(</p>
<p>PN - 75%??!!! That really is crazy. I think I’d have had a hard time not complaining about that one.</p>
<p>OHMom2, what you described seems like the sensible way to handle summer projects.</p>
<p>From what I am hearing from some folks upthread here, I’m glad my D didn’t try the SAT Bio test. She thought about that for a little while.</p>
<p>Enjoy your visit IJD!</p>
<p>Suzy-That is crazy. A summer reading assignment will be 40% of the semester grade?! Maybe your D can ask the English teacher if there is anything extra she can do to bring up the grade?</p>
<p>Suzy, that English teacher is way out of line. Maybe he’s just talking tough or maybe he will change the grade after edits based on class teaching? I agree with the suggestion that your D should approach the English teacher to clarify the grading and to see if there’s any way to move it upward.</p>
<p>PSAT is in 2 weeks here too. D took one practice test and got a near perfect score–surprised me to no end but after all it was taken in a relaxed setting. That’s the extent of what she’ll do before the actual test this year. </p>
<p>I have to temper my negative reaction to D’s slate of teachers. I’m still not thrilled with most of them but the math teacher has shown herself to be a caring and involved teacher. D is learning a lot and it’s a stretch for her.</p>
<p>suzy100 – here too. D2015 considered taking BioSATII last spring, but decided the class hadn’t really prepared her and she had other stuff keeping her too busy to self-study. Turns out to have been a good bet. Several of her classmates took it, and only a couple were happy with their score.</p>
<p>Maxwellequations – we had a similar situation with my D1 early in her HS career. For Orchestra class, they had to keep all of their music and paperwork neatly in a binder, to be turned in at the end of each quarter. All quarter, she kept the thing organized (not easy for an executive-function-challenged kid). Last day of the term, when it was due, she forgot it at home. After many tears, the teacher allowed her to run home after school, run back, (literally running, >1/2mi each direction) and turn it in late for partial credit. Next quarter, same thing, but this time the teacher wouldn’t accept it late. Not even after tears. My D did learn, eventually…</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about these grading issues-I share your pain!</p>
<p>We are in the midst of a grueling soccer season-I cannot wait for it to be over! We too are in the same boat with the sports-my daughter also loves to play and has been told she may be recruited in one if not two sports but she has no interest in going that route-but the only options at this age are to continue to play for the town travel team which she outgrew a few years ago or move to a premier team for better competition. We managed to find one that isn’t horribly expensive but still costs plenty but the travel is minimal. It seems from what I have been hearing from my softball friends the commitments at this age are really ridiculous in terms of time, money and travel-it is really a racket isn’t it?</p>
<p>There is no Homecoming drama as she isn’t going. She doesn’t like music and loud noises and told her friends if they stopped bugging her about Homecoming she would consider going to the Sophomore Semi in the spring.</p>
<p>Overall she is having a good year academically. She likes all her classes and only has one teacher she doesn’t like but I have a feeling that will change the longer she is in that class-the teacher is definitely a little odd but she is an incredible teacher.</p>
<p>If she could just shake this cold that has been hanging on! It will be very nice when she can come home at a decent time and get some well deserved rest. :)</p>
<p>D was home sick for 4 days. She is now scrambling to make up work.</p>
<p>Thanks for the validation that I’m not crazy - well, not about this summer work issue. 
My D is not one to make waves so I’m not sure that she’ll say something.</p>
<p>3girls3cats: Maybe he’s just talking tough or maybe he will change the grade after edits based on class teaching? I’m hoping this is the case. She’s not the only one in this boat - most of the class got creamed. Her grades are really really good without this one, so I hope he’s just saber rattling. We’ll see.</p>
<p>Have to say, I don’t know how some of you (and your kiddos) manage all of the time and travel associated with high school sports. My D plays rec soccer - a game on Sundays, no practice, it’s just for fun. Much better for me anyway!</p>
<p>jmnva, glad your D is better. That’s a lot to make up at this age.</p>
<p>The sports thing is new for us this year and I hate it. D started crew and it’s taking far too much time. They meet 5-6 days per week for 3 hours at a time. She’s constantly tired and crabby and staying up very late to keep on top of things. Last night she had a concert a school too so she went straight from crew to orchestra, changing and eating dinner in the car. Worse yet, crew goes all year long. I guess I could accept it more easily if (1) the time was used efficiently and it was really, really necessary for that much practice, (2) it was limited to one season and (3) this was a premier, varsity team. I’m even crabbier than D these days.</p>
<p>I agree! As I posted earlier this week we are in play off mania. Girls have played games every night this week and have a game today at 3. Softball girl hasn’t been in bed before midnight this week and it going in to school early 7:30 to catch up with teachers. She commented last night, that this is why girls quit the Varsity softball team. State play offs are Wed/ Thurs next week and we will more than likely be knocked out. Crew sounds awful, softball is an intense but short season. </p>
<p>D is scraping to keep up her grades and has managed to get an A in her Spanish 2 class. She switched languages from German when she switched schools. Her peers had 3 years of middle school spanish for Spanish 1- she had 6 months at HS. The lack of exposure is starting to tell. Hard when you have all A’s in the “hard " classes and a B in a beginner type class. I feel bad for encouraging her to make the shift from German. She loved German, but around here Spanish is so more useful. Happy to see the " A” on parent portal.</p>
<p>Beautiful day here and looking forward to an afternoon at the ball park!</p>
<p>Sometimes I really would like to go stay in a school in a different country, to see if they put the same amount of emphasis on academics and sports and such. I’m working with a class in my D.'s school. It’s the first period, AP physics. Kids come in late because they have early morning band practice and the band teacher keeps them extra time. Several times in the middle of the class, several got up and left because they had to go to a sport team picture day. It’s AP physics, not even easy, and to me, I think it’s important. But apparently band and sports are more important than AP physics to many.</p>
<p>^ I hear you. We don’t have that exact situation but one pet peeve…if you are on a sports team and in a music class (orchestra, band, choir) and there is a conflict (game-concert)…the student has to choose which one to attend and which to skip.</p>
<p>Music classes are for credit and the grade is part of the GPA. Sports teams are strictly no credit (except very limited phys ed credit one year out of 4). </p>
<p>It seems OK to let the students choose until you see that BOTH the coach and the music teacher put pressure on the kids to “pick them”. They aren’t supposed to, but they often do. Coaches more than music teachers, in D’s experience. </p>
<p>I wish the school would make the call.</p>
<p>My daughter has a friend who is a senior. He really likes physics. He took honors physics last year and wanted to take AP physics. The band teacher ordered him take band instead. The kid told D. that he is a coward, has to listen to the band teacher.</p>