It’s the week of December 15th, marking two and a half weeks until the end of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy’s second quarter. By this point in the marking period, most students have a decent idea of where they are academically. Usually, they know their grades and are aware of any issues that need attention. There is comfort and stability in this; however, it’s often the case that at the end of the quarter students have few grades in their grade books.

Come the end of the quarter, the lack of grades in a grade book contributes to the general stress students are under. “I feel like a lot of teachers put grades in towards the end of the quarter, it stresses me out a lot, especially in classes like English where every assignment is worth a lot more,” said Hope Kelly, a Junior at SCH. “I’d definitely go to SAS more if I knew I was doing worse in class before the end of the quarter,” Kelly added.

Both students and teachers are not fans of last-minute grades entering the gradebook. To make grading more efficient for teachers and students, the history department is experimenting with new grading methods. History department chair Ms. McDowell noted, “We don’t want all the grades to come in at the very end of the quarter so the kids are like, “Wait! I thought I had an A+ and now I have a D. What happened?” However, all of the grading that teachers have to complete sometimes makes it unavoidable. Ms. McDowell added, “All teachers are human so they get behind but generally they get [grades] in on time.” She also shared, “I sometimes spend all weekend grading as do many teachers.” To combat this problem, Ms. McDowell explained, “We’re trying a new thing now where we grade only for certain things…it accelerates the grading and I think makes the kids feel a little freer.” The history department hopes the new system will cut down on grading time for teachers and waiting time for students.

In addition to department chairs restructuring their grading methods, grading standards applicable to all the teachers regardless of department also exist. Failure to meet the standard repeatedly will lead to a discussion with the faculty member’s department chair. Mr. Norcini, the head of Upper School, also sends out a weekly email to the faculty informing them of how many weeks are left in the quarter, and the amount of graded items that are supposed to be in the grade book by this point.

It is safe to say that the end of the quarter is a stressful time for all members of the SCH community and students and faculty alike are doing their best to complete their work to finish the quarter strong. While it’s frustrating for students to be midway through the quarter and only have three items in the gradebook, or have the last week of the quarter stuffed with graded items, it is important to remember SCH teachers are trying their best to make the experience as convenient and stress-free as possible for everyone.