Skip to main content

Grading Options for DAHS STEM Students - Spring 2020


Dear DA STEM students and parents/guardians, 

Normandale has decided to offer students a Pass / No Credit option for spring semester.   Because this is a DA class, if you choose to get a letter grade your grade would be based on the usual scale and weighted in your GPA at Jefferson or Kennedy.  In NCC’s pass/fail system, in order to earn a pass, students will need to be earning 70% at the end of the semester (which is not howP/F is being done at BPS right now).

You do not need to decide today which type of grade you would like.  I spoke with Cary Komoto, the NCC STEM Dean, today and he agrees that you will get to choose the P/F option by notifying me after you have had the opportunity to see your final grade from NCC.  I will then communicate whether you chose the  grade or P/F option to BPS and to NCC.   You can choose to take a grade in one class and a Pass/Fail in another.  

If you earn an A or B in your NCC courses this spring you should take the traditional grade, because this class is weighted in your GPA and you will be able to transfer those college credits to many schools in the future.  For those of you who are challenged by online learning, taking a Pass might be a good strategy to help decrease your stress level.  
                           
I have had several of you already reach out to me to understand what the implications would be if you took a Pass instead of a grade.  I don’t think it would make you look less desirable to any future college.  Everyone in any college or university in the U.S. is dealing with these same issues right now.  However, we chose these courses for our DA program because most STEM majors need these classes as prerequisites for their major and if you don’t have a grade there is a chance that they will not allow you to transfer in these credits.  So if getting college credit or if getting a weighted GPA is important to you then I would recommend taking a grade for this semester.  I am willing to work with you and hoping that we can find an option that will keep you learning for the rest of the trimester.  

I know this is not the educational experience any of us were anticipating.  Roger, your professors and I have been really impressed by your perseverance in this unique time!  Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Sincerely,
Meredith

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

May 18, 2020 Dear DA STEM 9th and 10th graders and their parents/guardians, Congratulations on completing spring semester at Normandale in the Dimensions Academy STEM program.  You excelled in your college coursework - during a pandemic and when all instruction was moved online!  Roger and I were very impressed with how hard you worked under these new learning conditions. Additionally, we were thrilled to see how well the Normandale professors adjusted their teaching to online.  We were happy with the level of rigor they were able to maintain.   Grades:   I am pleased to announce that everyone in both cohorts earned As and Bs in their college classes this semester.  Normandale is offering their students the opportunity to take their classes pass/fail but my recommendation for you is to take your grade.  There are 2 benefits to taking your grade:  1.  It is doubtful that 4 years from now colleges will give you credit for ...

Interested in the Nobel Creativity Program at KHS?

Parents, guardians and students interested in the Nobel Program at Kennedy High School are invited to attend an information session at KHS on  Tuesday, February 4th at 7pm in Kennedy Media Center (9701 Nicollet Ave in Bloomington).   ********** Nobel is an honors humanities pathway designed to nurture and develop the creativity of high school students and is housed at John F. Kennedy High School in Bloomington, MN.  Students who have been identified as creatively talented are grouped together in a cohort for key humanities classes and for their advisory where they work with teachers who have been trained to grow creativity.  Focusing on critical thinking and creativity, students will engage in a rich curriculum connecting literature, social sciences, philosophy and the arts.   Students are identified using the Torrance Test of Creativity and through their MAP reading test scores.  Students that graduate from the Valley View Middle School...

Think Before You Post

Harvard College recently rescinded admissions offers to at least ten prospective members of the Class of 2021 after the students traded sexually explicit memes and messages that  targeted minority groups in a private Facebook group chat. Last week I took a group of DA9th graders to Macalester College and the admissions officer told us they were looking for students that are both academically talented AND empathetic to others.   Please think before you post but also think about how you portray yourself.   http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/6/5/2021-offers-rescinded-memes/