Over a month ago, my school embraced distance learning. After a while, rumors started circulating about how classes would be graded. Were we going to receive letter grades, or was the District going to use pass/fail?
Snapchat stories filled with arguments on both sides:
“Pass/fail will mess up my GPA. Students who put in half of the effort will be on the same level as me. How is that fair?”
Or
“Not everyone has the same resources. If you want grades, you’re being selfish.”
For days, the debate fired back and forth, both sides accusing the other of being ignorant and insensitive. Eventually, our school decided on pass/fail after a Zoom call with the Board of Trustees (and a few hundred others watching, muted).
While parents spoke out against pass/fail grades, my wish would have been that the students were given a stronger voice, as it affects us the most.
