Townsend Harris recently switched from giving students one, cumulative grade at the end of the year, to per-semester grading, meaning students receive two official grades on their transcripts (at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters). Last year, grades were compiled from September to June without a midyear reset. This year, students receive one grade and one credit per course in January, and another grade and credit per course in June. In previous years, the annualized grading system encountered some hefty criticism from the student body, which debated the difficulties in improving one’s overall grades by the end of the year when faced with low ones from the start of the year. The new grading system could affect how students feel about the new school year, according to a series of opinions from the school community.
Freshman- Amaya De Lorenzo
“Students perform differently from the beginning of the year to the end and this grading policy reflects that growth. Getting a refreshment each semester could definitely help take stress off students as they progress throughout the year.”
Sophomore- Bradley Bachoco
“I feel like the new grading system is harsher than the old one from last year because it condenses [grades] into a shorter time frame. Considering the new testing schedule that emerged, as well as the time limits of the new grading system, students have complained that they face too many exams and assignments in such a short period. This leads into a cycle of cramming, where students will value grades more than their comprehension of a subject or their internal well-being. Semester systems deprive us of the opportunity to understand a topic properly. Annual systems, such as our old one, allow us more time to master material by providing space.”
Sophomore- Anjali Jagmohan, Sophomore
“I think that by removing annualized grading it gives students less time to better their grades over a longer period of time, however it could potentially push students into maintaining their grades from the start. I think it has impacted me in a way that forces me to maintain my grades consistently, rather than procrastinating until the end of the year. But it may not be this way for many other students.”
Sophomore- Adiba Islam
“I think that although the [previous] system had its ups and downs, I feel like the system was better than what we currently have. It gave us more time to improve and not be fixed under this semester based system. Yes, it has a very high impact on me and I know many other students that are also being impacted. This creates more issues for us to finish work on time as we are compiled with [extracurriculars]. Many students have jobs, volunteer, clubs, etc. also I feel like ever since this new system many things have also changed and a lack of sleep has become very common among Townsend kids. I really prefer the old system.”
Junior- Anshpreet Kaur
“I feel like [the current] grading system [could be] good or bad. While the old one did help people maintain a good average throughout the year, [the new one] will help others who would like to improve during the second semester if they didn’t do good during the first one. This can give students the opportunity to work harder and redeem themselves. For me personally I feel like this would help me improve and I think it is more beneficial and easy going because there is always a second chance- room for improvement.”
Senior- Tristin Hall
“I support semester semester grading because I feel like it gives me a fresh start in between the fall and spring semesters. The restarting of grades as we reach a new semester can help out, especially because topics may be harder in the beginning of the year, but you gradually get more of an understanding for your school work as the semester goes on. It’s especially important as a senior, where our fall semester grades are more likely to be submitted to colleges than our spring semester grades. This lets me have a break in between prepping for colleges to see my grades”
Social Studies Teacher- Blayne Gelbman
“I think that it is a better plan than annualized. I think it will more accurately represent a student’s growth, and hold them accountable throughout the year. I can’t speak for other staff or students, but for me it allows me to track growth on a smaller scale. Other than that it does not really impact me.”
