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Speaking hypothetically, of course, but let's assume for this post that I discovered the class ranks of two children in eighth grade in one of the best thought of public school districts in the St. Louis area.
On a 4.0 scale, one has a cumulative GPA of 3.838 and is in the 71st percentile of his class and the other has a GPA of 3.461 and is in the 38th percentile of his class.
Does this seem completely out of whack or not unusual at all?
If it's a magnet school, I wouldn't think it odd. If it is a regular public school, even in a very good district, it seems like the grades are too high and that the GPAs you posted should be a higher percentile.
If it's a magnet school, I wouldn't think it odd. If it is a regular public school, even in a very good district, it seems like the grades are too high and that the GPAs you posted should be a higher percentile.
It is not a magnate school. It is a regular public middle school in one of the better thought of St. Louis suburban districts.
Could be testing anomalies. Some kids test better, or worse, than others for a variety of reasons. Classroom grades are usually made up of several components of which tests are just one.
Speaking hypothetically, of course, but let's assume for this post that I discovered the class ranks of two children in eighth grade in one of the best thought of public school districts in the St. Louis area.
On a 4.0 scale, one has a cumulative GPA of 3.838 and is in the 71st percentile of his class and the other has a GPA of 3.461 and is in the 38th percentile of his class.
Does this seem completely out of whack or not unusual at all?
Just curious.
It seems a little out of whack. Especially the lower GPA. It seems unusual that a child with a B average would be in the 38th percentile.
Only 38% of students have a GPA below 3.461?! A 3.461 is between a B+ and A-, not a B, so that seems like a pretty high GPA (assuming a rigorous curriculum), but he is in the BOTTOM HALF half of his class.
I have heard a lot about grade inflation in college -- didn't know it had trickled down to middle school too.
(As an aside, when I was in grad school I taught an undergraduate Medical Sociology class -- almost everyone in it was premed, and they ALL believed that they deserved an A in the class. I had to keep reminding them that an A is supposed to be for EXCEPTIONAL work, and not all of them could be exceptional. They seemed to think that just doing the bare minimum meant that they should get an A.)
Speaking hypothetically, of course, but let's assume for this post that I discovered the class ranks of two children in eighth grade in one of the best thought of public school districts in the St. Louis area.
On a 4.0 scale, one has a cumulative GPA of 3.838 and is in the 71st percentile of his class and the other has a GPA of 3.461 and is in the 38th percentile of his class.
Does this seem completely out of whack or not unusual at all?
Just curious.
Do you mean class rank or percentile scores? What are the percentile scores based on? Standardized test scores? Which one(s)? Percentile scores typically rank a student against a large national sample rather than a local school district's population. I can see the general population of a high-achieving district having students whose percentile scores are skewed to the right, even though the GPAs on coursework are lower due to the more challenging local norms.
I think some important information is missing. Either that, or I'm using a different definition of percentile.
I have heard a lot about grade inflation in college -- didn't know it had trickled down to middle school too.
I think it went the other way.
When I taught middle school (starting in the mid-90s), many students and parents seemed to think A stood for Average and B stood for Bad.
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