Overdue grades burden stressed students
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With high school students’ grade point averages being one of the key factors in college admissions, it is no wonder that grades are one of the biggest priorities for them. In addition to taking honors and advanced placement courses, students are encouraged to invest their time into extracurricular activities like athletics and volunteering. If students are expected to balance their time between school work and extracurriculars, teachers should also be expected to balance their time with not just teaching, but with regularly updating students’ grades as well.
It is crucial for students to know how they are doing in a class. Hypothetically speaking, students should always be trying their best in every class. But in reality, students need to know where they stand in each class so they can know which subject to prioritize and put more effort into. This cannot be achieved if they do not receive feedback for their work. Keeping in mind that teachers have lives outside of school, it is understandable that not every assignment gets posted on PowerSchool right away. There is also the fact that teachers need to grade andinput scores for assignments for all of their students from all of the periods they teach, but that is not enough to justify putting grades in weeks—or in some cases, even months— late.
Although it is unrealistic to demand teachers input grades every single day, it is important to shine light on the fact that students need relevant feedback for the work they are doing and the tests they are taking. Even if teachers cannot find the time to update PowerSchool grades frequently, they should at least give verbal feedback so students know what they are doing well and what they could improve on. Learning is not reflected by a percentage and a letter, but it does not mean that grades are not important. Teachers should focus on delivering feedback for the assignments they give out. If this cannot be achieved, students may be left in the dark regarding their academic performance and assignments will start becoming less meaningful.
