Grades On A Rollercoaster

According to a national survey from May 2020, only 15% of districts expected their elementary students to learn for more than four hours per day during remote learning. Statistics like these undermined our hopes that remote learning would work well through the pandemic. But what caused this dilemma? Shouldn’t people have worked hard and maintained their grades through remote learning, as they did prior to the pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of our daily lives, changing how we eat, live, and learn. A Rand Corp. study from December 2020 found that only 6 out of 10 teachers were assigning letter grades, generating suspicion about what the actual grades of those students might be. But not all the blame should be placed on the learners. Learning during a time such as this pandemic can be debilitating for many reasons. One of the struggles of remote learning is the prevalence of distractions. When classes start to feel repetitive and have no fun twist to them, students tend to lose interest, but they still feel pressured to stay focused on the task at hand. The level of stress this causes is evident and dangerously high. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 81% of Gen Z teens (13 to 17 years old) have experienced more stress during the coronavirus pandemic compared to regular years. This mounting stress combined with tempting distractions caused students to perform worse in class.

However, some students argue that the pandemic has not affected their grades in a significant way. Jesse Angrist, a current sophomore at Niskayuna High School, feels this way. While interviewing Jesse, I asked if the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted his grades. Jesse responded, “they mostly stayed the same since eighth grade (when Jesse first went into quarantine). I think it’s harder to get good grades in general, but the classes felt easier than normal.” Though not everyone’s experience will mirror Jesse’s, he has a valid point. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, before remote learning was properly set up, teachers focused on reviewing and strengthening old skills, instead of introducing new material. However, this has resulted in significant gaps in students’ knowledge, which they are struggling to make up for. Although Jesse personally found remote learning to be easier, he is still very grateful to be back to in-person learning. “Being in school in-person has helped a lot” he says, “I’ve joined four clubs! I’m coming to school early, leaving later, and it’s just a lot better.” And I’m sure we can all agree with that statement.