Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, SHS had been using the 50% rule to help keep the students’ grades up during that stressful time. Starting this year, however, the new 14-point scale grading system is being put into effect.

“It accurately communicates what they know,” Principal Amy Boone said. “Not necessarily just an effort grade but that it’s communicating and it shows where they are with their understanding of skills in the standards of the course.”

Over the two years that the 50% rule was in effect, many teachers expressed their dislike of it because their students seemed to have stopped doing their work and yet were still able to pass their classes. However, now with the 14-point scale, students will be graded differently with no automatic 50% to help them pass.

Social Studies teacher David Luers says that while the 14-point scale is confusing, he prefers it over the 50% rule because when the 50% rule was in play, his students stopped doing quite a bit of the work in his class.

“I like the fact that the 14-point scale brings back the idea of if you do nothing, you don’t get any points,” Luers said. “My hope is that it will get students to actually do their work.”

Senior Nat Tien has expressed their concerns about the 14-point scale. They think that the 14-point scale isn’t one of the greater ways of grading that SHS has used because they say that it puts more weight on an F which can cause students’ grades to get dragged down and can throw off students’ GPAs.

“I personally like the 50% rule …,” Tien said. “I feel like a lot of classwork we got, we could go without doing.”

Other students have also expressed their confusion with the 14-point scale and how it works. Senior James Perez says that he finds it strange that it is now possible for students to get an F- on school work, but ultimately thinks it’s an okay system.

Although the new switch is controversial, both staff and students will likely have to get used to this new grading system.