A teacher from each core subject such as English, science, math, and history have shared how their specific classes did this 6-12 week grading period while being virtually online in response to Covid-19.

Virtual learning has made working conditions completely different. Students and teachers did not have any idea what grades would look like this year in comparison to previous years. Teachers explain how their classes alone did this grading period by stating if there was an incline or decline in grades. They elaborate on their opinion of what is causing the incline and/or decline of grades in their classes and individual students.

Mrs. Lord, an English teacher at Don Lugo, explains, that the general trend in her AP English students from the 6-12 week happened to be an improvement. The reason for this is because students are making progress in new and difficult skills that they are learning this year. Although, she happened to notice a slight decrease in her CP students. Acknowledging that this might be because of the ERWC curriculum which increases in difficulty as the year progresses. There was an increase in the 11th grade, in particular, she believes this is the case because her 11th-grade classes are honors and AP’s. She goes on to explain that it seems like “students are losing steam, a bit, in the virtual learning environment” and this could be because “this environment requires students to be much more organized, self-motivated, and self-directed.”

Grades are the opposite of what Mrs. Lord had to say in Mr. Woods’s class. He is a science teacher at Don Lugo and he states that grades trended downward across all his classes! In spite of the downward decrease in all of his classes, he still noticed a clear distinction between his AP and CP students. In his AP classes, the trend was slightly upward when comparing CP which was “strongly” downward. Contrasting to Mrs. Lord, Mr. Woods states “there was no noticeable trend when comparing grade levels.” He strongly believes that individual students determine if they are passing or failing their classes. He states, “Students need to take on responsibility for their learning by staying engaged during class, completing the assigned work, self-advocating more often (asking questions in class and during office hours), correcting mistakes whenever they can, etc.”

In the math department, where Mr. Abel teaches, he explains how his grades went in “both directions” meaning the upper-grade levels went higher and the lower grade levels did even worse than usual. He does not know whether his upper-grade level students got better because of the different math styles he used or if their cheating just got exponentially better. Let’s hope it is the first option! Apparently, his lower grades are really behind and unmotivated to the point no work is getting done in individual students. It is apparent that “the students that show up, participate, and utilize all the help available, are doing better than the ones who don’t.” Another trend noticed is “the few students who turn on their cameras for class stay more active and motivated, thus tend to have higher grades.”

Mr. Belloso teaches history and AP human geography and he states that “grades have significantly increased in both CP and AP classes.” In his AP classes, they have already become accustomed to the workload and expectations of taking an AP class despite being virtually online. He has noticed that students in his AP classes have higher levels of self-motivation in comparison to his CP students which need a little more motivation. To be there for his students academically he makes sure to build positive relationships with them and reminds them that he’s available whenever they need. He says, “Unfortunately, getting to know students over zoom is difficult” so he’s made an effort to call students at home and have conversations with them on how they are feeling so he can help them. He believes doing this improves grades because “when you show someone that you truly care about them and that you are willing to put in the effort towards their success, in return they increase their effort and overall attitude.”

While being virtually online in this grading period, it is clear that there is a different trend while comparing all these teachers’ classes and their student’s performance with one another. It is noticeable that they all have different opinions on why their students are performing the way they are. Whatever the reasons, Ms. Lord addresses all Don Lugo students and says, “I know this is a hard time right now, but you need to be able to keep thinking about the future. Even though the situation does not feel real, I want to assure you that it very much is and there are real consequences in the future based on what we do now.”