It’s basic routine. Whether it’s once a week or every day, students check their grades. It’s a necessity. We go to our phone or computer, type in the password and access Edline. We slide to the main screen, hit private reports and then bam! All of the grades are right before your eyes. Simple. Repetitive. Systematic. And, convenient. Checking grades should always be this way. However, some classes have now jumped off Edline to use Schoology’s gradebook option instead. And although it might be more convenient for teachers, it is not as convenient for the students.

Unlike usual where there is a push to use a certain system for a class, teachers now have a chance to pick where they feel it is most convenient to post their grades. Sometimes Schoology will work better, because they keep resources on Schoology and it makes sense to keep them in the same place. Sometimes Edline will be more effective in the class for different reasons, such as not having the time to experiment with a new system.This can also be seen as a transition point, so departments can give their feedback based on which system they feel is best. It could be an easy way to see what works with the two gradebooks and what doesn’t. Due to this, classes such as math analysis, broadcast, some French and Spanish classes, and some Graphics I classes use Schoology. The history department has made this switch as well.

Although it does seem like a good idea to start this transition for teachers, it can be rough on students. Some students might have six classes with grades on Schoology, and some might have only one. Either way they must toggle back and forth between grading systems and get used to two different kinds. This might not seem like a large deal, but if students are trying to check one class you would have to log onto two different websites instead of one in order to see where the grades are posted.

On top of this, students have to figure out Schoology now that it is a new method of presenting grades to students. There are grading periods and strange grades that show extra credit or missing assignments in this whole new tab that most didn’t know existed. This issue could be due to the fact that teachers are still learning how to use Schoology for posting grades. These items are things we all, teachers and students, must get used to now. Even if it can eventually become a good system (which it probably could), students still have to get used to it. Not to mention the teachers must get used to it as well, and they are the people who have our grades in the palms of their hands.

It would be different if all of the grades were on Schoology, because then it is just one place, one system and one website.

But why change now? Everyone is so used to Edline, so used to quickly tapping and typing to reach their course private reports. Now we must remember to check these out of the ordinary classes that keep their grades on Schoology.

Since it’s a new system, it’s natural for it to be confusing at first, but the problem is we could have avoided it so easily.

A basic system should be all the qualities that make checking grades easy for students, and easy for teachers to get used to as well. Especially for students who work so hard at their grades, understanding the grading system shouldn’t be harder. If this is the transition to Schoology, it should have been all, or nothing. All Schoology, or all Edline. That way it wouldn’t be as confusing.  

Grades are what shapes our college career. Grades are what shapes our career as a whole. Grades shape our path to success. We should be able to understand them. Checking them should be repetitive, seeing them should be simple, and the way we see them should be systematic. And most of all, it should be convenient. Because students have worked hard enough to achieve the grades they receive. They shouldn’t have to work more in order to check them.

by RACHEL MARQUARDT