A new grading policy was implemented for all MCPS students this year. Under this policy, grade percentages across each quarter are averaged out to determine students letter grade for the semester or year depending on the length of each student’s course. This differs from the previous system, which took the average of a student’s letter grade across each quarter. Additionally, students now are eligible to retake at least two All Tasks/Assessments assignments per quarter rather than just one, and no deadline for assignments can be longer than 10 school days after the original due date. Lastly, this policy also demands teachers return graded work within 10 school days of the due date (or, if submitted late, the date of submission).
Students have mixed opinions about the overall changes within this new policy. Many are very concerned about what this may mean for their academic performance. Hadas Binstock, a junior, said, “I think a lot of students who might struggle in a class rely on the previous grading system…For junior year, I think that it might be pretty stressful, since we have a lot of other stuff happening, like studying for SATs”.
Students are not just worried about how this change may reflect on their grades, but also how this may affect their stress levels. 11th grade Vice President Jonah Moran stated his opinion: “I feel like it limits students’ GPA to a certain extent. And since colleges have seen our grades as rising juniors, it’s going to look weird that some of the students’ GPAs are dropping junior and senior year.” Concerns are high about the potential ramifications, but only as the year progresses will it become evident how precisely these new policies will affect Barons.
