Students are familiar with the classic letter grades, based off of their work quality, completion, and so on. But this year at school, they will be graded not solely on what they turn in, but also on their behavior in class.
Quarterly behavior grades have been mentioned in the teacher handbook since 2005 on page 17. Page 17 of the teacher handbook also includes the criteria for these “accountability grades,” (as stated in the teacher handbook), reading, “Behavior will be graded with an ‘S,’ ‘N,’ or ‘U.’”
“I like these grades because it’s not all about the content of classes,” said lead English teacher Amy Johnson. “They’re teaching students how to be a better person.”
These accountability grades will not be seen on transcripts for colleges to see, but are geared more towards letting parents know how their child is behaving during class. This year, they will be shown on a student’s report card.
“Students should be given grades for their work not behavior,” said senior Ellie Williams. “School is where you learn new information and graded on what you know, not how you behave.”
While these different grades may seem new, the school is only now using them due to the adoption of more efficient technologies over recent years. Grade book is now stable, allowing teachers to put to use the grades. “S” stands for satisfactory, “N” stands for needs improvement, and “U” stands for unsatisfactory.
“I think the crack down is good and needed,” said history and government teacher Wendel Nothdurft. “We got away with being too relaxed and we need to focus more on what we’re here for.”
The plan for this school year is for these quarterly behavior grades to ensure good behavior from students. Administrators believe that these accountability grades will eventually discourage students from poor behavior during class.