At a school board meeting on April 27, the PV school board decided to implement pass/fail grading for all non-college classes within the high school. This decision was made in light of the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and online schooling.
The system of pass/fail grading will work by giving students either a P or an F for a class, instead of a classic letter grade. The minimum requirement for a student to acquire a P is 60%, equivalent to a D- in a classic letter grading system at PVHS.
During the meeting, superintendent Brian Strusz mentioned this semester’s grades will not be counted into the GPA of any students, due to the pass/fail system.
The conversation of possibly letting students choose whether they wanted their grades to be pass/fail or letter was brought up in the conversation during the meeting as well. However, the decision to enforce pass/fail grades on all students was done out of the board’s belief that equity needs to be ensured.
The counselors of PVHS supported this decision. “Children and adolescents may not developmentally possess the executive functioning skills necessary to be successful in this time of primarily autonomous learning,” they stated. “Combined with the added stress of our current situation and a decline in mental health among children and adults, the decision to require letter grades at this time seems punitive.”
When it comes to college classes taken through Scott Community College, students will be given a choice of whether they wish to receive a letter grade or a Pass/Fail grade at the end of the semester. These types of classes are the only way for a student to receive a letter grade in a class this semester.
Coming to this decision was not an easy one for many involved, especially superintendent Brain Strusz. “Please know this decision was not taken lightly and it involved many conversations with post-secondary institutions, teachers, counselors, other school districts, administrators and our school board,” Strusz said. “As we looked at what was best for all students in this situation, we arrived at the pass-fail option.”
