From the day it was announced, students across Montgomery County were exuberated by the new grading policy that could be summed up by just four words; the higher grade wins. For some students, the new grading policy had no effect on the way they studied for school. For others, this policy became a instrument for saving their grade point averages.
However you take it, the MCPS policy states that a student receiving an A in one quarter and B in the next averages out to an A as the semester grade. If a student receives an A in one quarter and a C in another quarter, the semester grade averages out to a B. In any scenario, the higher grade always takes precedence. Additionally, students who put in minimal effort but do not meet the requirements of a test, project, or assessment will receive 50% as the lowest grade possible. This grading system provides too much leeway for students to bypass it with major effort in one quarter and minimal effort in another and it does not help students in the long run.
According to the Washington Post, hundreds of students across the county have been receiving higher grades than they were before simply due to this new grading policy. Classes that were once far-fetched to receive A’s and B’s in, became easier for students to obtain those grades. Teachers agree that this policy of inflation is no match for the frightening array of long exams that await students in college and further education.
Montgomery County also decided to replace 2 hour-long semester exams with quarterly exams to help students retain material. While this may be beneficial, AP exam scores and SAT/ACT scores have begun to drop. This policy does not actually help students learn and benefit from the classes they are taking.
When we consider a county as large as MCPS there are definite benefits to having a grading policy like the one we have in place today. Some students feel that with extracurricular activities, SAT/ACT preparation, and college applications are other burdens that prevent students from focusing all of their time of getting that perfect “A.”
In the end, the real question remains. What is the actual benefit of having a grading policy that won’t help our students in the future? The classes we take in high school are meant to be the foundation principles of our education for the rest of our lives. If we can’t instill this in Montgomery County students today, what will be the condition of these students in the following years? Perhaps in the future, we can hope for a grading policy that accounts for the needs of our students and helps achieve our ultimate goal of everyone being in an environment that encourages knowledge and success.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Sangeet Anand of Churchill High School