Grade Trends in High School
It’s the that time of year again when grades “inexplicably” drop.
Around winter break, some students hit the point where they just can’t keep their grades up anymore. On semester report cards, while around 60 percent of students averaged A and B grades, about 32 percent had C’s and D’s, while almost 10 percent of students had F’s.
Why students’ grades fall at this particular time is a mystery but some students are of the opinion that they stop caring about school.
“People have more stuff to do and not enough time to do [homework],” said Freshman Briana Doyle, “They want to do other stuff.”
Doyle also said that she thinks a longer break might help to deal with this problem. “That way we could hang out with friends and do the stuff we want to do,” Doyle said.
Unfocused students aren’t the only factor of poorer grades after winter break. Another grade factor is the standards-based grading system that’s being tried out in some classes this year. The purpose of this system is to try to grade whether or not the students understand the material, rather than whether they complete assignments. On a standards-based grading scale, only 10 percent of the grade is homework assignments. The other 90 percent is made up of assessments – meaning either tests or homework that counts as tests.
Supposedly, the standards-based grading scale is better than having normal letter grades because it helps the teachers make sure that every student understands what they’re doing. However, many students do not agree.
“I get a worse grade because there are only two assignments that have been graded, and I haven’t done perfect on those assignments,” said Freshman Jake Hogan.
Another problem with the scale is that students don’t understand why they have to do homework if it’s not being graded or what the grades they do get mean.
“The letter grading scale makes sense,” said Freshman Adam Hill. “An A means you did super well, a B means you did pretty well, and et cetera, but with this other scale I get a P and I have no idea what that means.”
So whether you’re too busy to focus on school or you’re confused by some wacky grades, remember, we’re only half a semester away from the end of the year. It might be easier to hit the books now rather than during the summer.
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