The 80/20 grading scale: Helping or hurting?
September 25, 2017
By EMMA SCHULFER
The Mirror reporter
The 80/20 grading scale became a school-wide policy in the 2016-2017 school year. 80/20 is a grading system where homework and other formative assignments are worth 20 percent of your grade leaving the remaining 80 percent to be calculated from your tests or major assignments.
The grading system is a very controversial topic. Liz Anderson, a Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) social studies teacher felt “conflicted” over the topic and has noticed that students no longer feel the need to complete their homework. She also felt it has caused students to have more test anxiety.
Ashley Crawford, a SPASH student, said, “I like 80/20. If you aren’t doing well in a class you can study really hard and bring your grade up very easily. We are also given the opportunity to retake tests which can take the edge off.’’
Student Evan Schulfer is not a fan of 80/20. Schulfer said, “it makes testing way more stressful. Also, I find myself procrastinating way more.”
Math teacher Denise Etrheim said, “I like the grading system. It tests students on what they actually know.” Etrheim also feels that 80/20 is quite extreme and can have a harsh impact on student’s grades, making school for difficult for students.
Andromeda Brown • Dec 14, 2017 at 12:16 PM
I’m not too fond with this grading scale because it can make things so much more difficult and really only give you the dependability of relying on how well you do on tests or highly graded assignments and that’s not easy for every student.