We use Parent Connect here. Even with the latest upgrade (which makes it usable, at least), it is…lacking.
And absolutely none of the sorts of Naviance-type scatterplots (or even the underlying data) that people here talk about.
No Naviance here, either. I think it’d be of little use to us anyway, as most kids apply to in-state publics and a few local LACs. So the plan of attack is scouring the CDSs and hoping and praying.
I’ll check D’s grades from time to time, but it is sometimes frustrating…I have panic attacks when I see really low averages because teachers enter future tests and they’re scored as 0% until they’re taken…
Our school switched to a new grading and parent portal at the end of last year, and I don’t like the new one so don’t bother looking.
. I used to check the old version fairly regularly with son17 because he was the kind of kid who had grades always teetering on A- or B+ and it drove me crazy. He was a good student, he just couldn’t be bothered with putting in the extra effort to secure a solid A. Son19 is more consistent and stays above the A- level and works hard at school, so I don’t bother to nag him. I just ask how his classes are going and he just says fine. He’s competitive with his friends in regards to grades, and he knows some of the schools he is interested in look for a high GPA. He gets a mix of A’s and A- so I really just try to leave him alone and let him figure it all out himself. He doesn’t need me bugging him to study more, and that would certainly cause friction.
Worrying about grades and test scores is the worst. As a parent it’s pretty much out of our control to an extent. So with son19 I just go with the philosophy “it is what it is”.
Our school switched to a new grading and parent portal at the end of last year, and I don’t like the new one so don’t bother looking.
. I used to check the old version fairly regularly with son17 because he was the kind of kid who had grades always teetering on A- or B+ and it drove me crazy. He was a good student, he just couldn’t be bothered with putting in the extra effort to secure a solid A. Son19 is more consistent and stays above the A- level and works hard at school, so I don’t bother to nag him. I just ask how his classes are going and he just says fine. He’s competitive with his friends in regards to grades, and he knows some of the schools he is interested in look for a high GPA. He gets a mix of A’s and A- so I really just try to leave him alone and let him figure it all out himself. He doesn’t need me bugging him to study more, and that would certainly cause friction.
Worrying about grades and test scores is the worst. As a parent it’s pretty much out of our control to an extent. So with son19 I just go with the philosophy “it is what it is”.
I just want to be clear about something. I’ve never nagged my kids to study more or given them a hard time about grades. It’s typically the opposite actually, that I am assuring them that their grades are fine and that they shouldn’t feel they need to overstudy.
I know that there are people who use the portal access to micromanage their kids over grades. That just isn’t us though.
My son just texted me a picture of him at school receiving an Academic All American award for his sport. Pretty cool. He looked proud and happy 
We’ll have to get that one framed.
I received notification from D19’s school asking me to sign permission to release student info and transcripts to the University of California yesterday because she qualifies for the Eligibility in Local Context (ELC) program - top 15% of the class. It’s not a huge recognition but it will help her having a spot in one of the UC campuses next year.
Hi Coolweather – we got the same ELC letter:-) My DD was underwhelmed by it but I was happy to see it. I guess 9% will ultimately eligible but they send the letter to the current top 15%.
I wanted to post this cool video my cousin’s son made. He’s a BU student and IMO this video really captures the roommate experience – it’s funny but also has a lot of heart (IMO!) – warning, does contain some mildly NSFW subject matter – https://youtu.be/5Rr7bNnmhwk – if you want to look it up rather than clicking a link, it’s on you tube and called “Jing Who?” about him getting to know his roomie (named Jinghu)
S19 spent the morning at school doing an APUSH practice test. His reaction was “not too bad.” Which is good I think?!? He’ll get the practice test score on Monday. Actual test is less than two weeks away.
DD plans to apply ED to Penn in the fall. She scored an 800 on the Math II SAT, she can’t take a test in June due to an athletic conflict, she plans to retake SAT in August (she scored a 1510 the first time). She can take subject test in Oct. and get the score before the ED deadline. Penn does not require 2 subject tests, she has very strong grades, sports and ECs. Do you think she will be a competitive applicant with only one subject test? She attends a boarding school where many but not most students take subject tests. Anyone accepted to Penn without two subjects tests?
Hi Class of 2019 Parents!
Parent of DS Class of 2020 here looking for some advice for the summer before Junior Year. Is there anything you wish you had your son or daughter do to prep them for Junior Year?
- S20 earned a 1410 on his PSAT sophomore year. 700 EBRW 710 Math He would need to improve both scores by 30-50 points to be a National Merit Semi-Finalist in CA. Is this reasonable? First scores were earned without prep. Are there parents of kids with similar scores sophomore year, willing to share their junior year scores?
Thanks in advance for helping an anxious mom out!
@Redslp our S19 had a 1370 soph year and got a 1490 this year. That being said, the increase can be attributed to the fact that he spent all summer studying for the August SAT so he was also ready for the Oct PSAT. He took the sophomore one cold.
We were happy with his Aug SAT score and he didn’t study at all between that test and the PSAT.
Thanks @homerdog Congratulations to your son for being so disciplined. That’s a great improvement. How did he study? Online, study books, independently, with friends, tutoring program?
@Redslp D went from a 1170 sophomore year to a 1460 junior year. Much of the increase was due to doing well in sophomore year honors Algebra2 & Trig, as there is a lot of algebra on the PSAT. And she took the Oct SAT, a few days before the junior year PSAT, so had done prep for that.
@Redslp I’ll send you a pm.
@Redslp my S19 went from 1330 sophomore year to a 1480 junior year. We live in a state with high cutoff, he likely will miss NMSF by 1-2 points. Increase attributed from having full year of Algebra II and just more comfortable with testing. He had not started to prep much for ACT at that point.
Junior year can get intense if you and your child aren’t on your guard. Don’t try to feel like you or your son have to check off all the possible educational boxes, and build in downtime.
Somewhat random question - Does anybody have strong feelings for or against getting kids vaccinated for
meningitis B? I read something about it here or on another board here. I finally took D for a well check visit yesterday and asked about it. Her pediatrician didn’t seem to think it was so crucial, and that only military colleges specifically require it. I didn’t read it that way on the message boards. The way I understood it was that many universities are requiring it for on-campus living.
We didn’t do it, but we can always get it done next year. It’s a two doses within two months vaccine. Here’s a link from the CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/mening-serogroup.html
Would be interested in your opinions.
@jellybean5 Hm. We took a pass on that vaccine last summer when S19 had his last exam. I don’t think we would do it unless he was studying abroad that year. I will put in on my list of things to research though. I never thought about what colleges might require when it comes to vaccinations.