Without open-note tests and completion assignments this quarter, some teachers find student grades dropping compared to last fall, contradicting the data found from department chairs.

“I teach a three level class this year, and I did that last year as well, and I can say that there are more Cs and Bs this year, having just entered grades,” said social studies teacher Jamie Atwell.

Teachers found that with lighter course load and more open-note tests, student grades tremendously improved last year.

“In my classes, last year’s grade distribution skewed higher, meaning more As, than in past years,” said Math teacher Kristine Kelsh.

The data from department chairs, however, ends up disputing this downward trend.

Math Department Chair Mary Lappan said, “The distributional data for how the grades look this quarter in math overall [shows] higher grades right now than two years ago, and better than last fall at this time. Last fall’s first quarter was rough for students.”

With a change in environment, the math department found that many students had trouble focusing when learning remotely.

“Students were just really struggling to connect last year,” said Lappan.

Lappan admits that being able to learn in-person has allowed teachers to figure out where their students are struggling more quickly than they could last fall, when everybody was a square on a screen.

For the English department, however, grades didn’t quite go uphill or downhill; they remained constant.

“Grades actually have been fairly similar. For math, with students back in the classroom able to ask questions and get answers, you should see an improvement in performance in that area. But in English, we essentially repeat literacy and writing skills. It’s not the same as math, ” said English Department Chair Edward Zwirner.

On the other hand, students found that learning becomes difficult in-person because they have to transition away from being able to take open-note group tests.

“Testing is a lot harder since it’s a huge change [this year]. I wasn’t taking notes last time, and now I am. You actually have to study,” said senior Rory Baumruck.

Online learning changed the way teachers had to grade student work; instead of accuracy, grades focused on completion.

“Last year, we were all trying to get students as involved as possible in their classes. Certain grades that would have been based on a deeper level of conceptual knowledge became more about the completion of assignments,” said Kelsh.

For many students, completion assignments made it easier for them to get better grades last year since it was easy to just turn something in and get credit for it.

“A lot of people got As [last year], and they probably weren’t doing the amount of work that they had to do before. Was it easier to get a higher grade last year? If you were motivated, if you were capable, then yes, I think so. In terms of an actual grade, it was probably easier. And is it more difficult this year? Probably, yeah,” said Atwell.

Many students have gaps when it comes to certain concepts since most material was condensed last year, which reflects poorly on their grades.

Senior Nicoletta Spiliopoulos said, “This year my grades aren’t great because a lot of math, for instance, builds on itself. Because I missed a year and literally slept through all my AP classes, I don’t really know what’s going on now which is really a detriment.”

In general, students believe that the value of grades has drastically shifted from last year compared to this year.

“Getting an A this year is worth more than getting an A last year. I know a lot of people cheated last year; there were a lot of dishonest As. People at home probably had a bit more resources to take tests,” said sophomore Clare Levine. “This year, everyone is on the same level, on the same page. It is a better representation of your intelligence.”