Online schooling is new waters for HHS, especially when it comes to grading. Due to this, the administration has been working to find a new and fair system for the last remote marking period of the school year. This new system was decided and announced on Thursday, April 9th, and it applies to both the Hershey High School and the middle school.

The new system given to Hershey parents via email is as follows:

• All new assignments in Q4 will be graded for effort and completion.
• The instructors will set parameters and guidelines for what qualifies as “satisfactory” for each assignment.
• The instructors will provide feedback and return an assignment if it is deemed unsatisfactory, allowing the student another attempt, or possibly multiple attempts, prior to resubmission.
• The final Q4 grade will be derived from the number of assignments satisfactorily completed, divided by the total number of assignments given. (Example: A student who satisfactorily completes 18 out of 20 assignments during the marking period will receive a 90% for Q4.)

Final exams for the high school students have also been officially cancelled and will not affect the student’s final grade. HHS Principal Jeff Smith said the focus of the guidelines were to help students not feel overwhelmed yet still provide quality education.

“We are focused on and committed to providing meaningful educational experiences for every student at HHS,” HHS principal Jeff Smith said. 

After much deliberation, the administration believes this system of grading will work best when considering that everyone’s homelife is different. Teachers and staff have to be very flexible to each special case, so they think that this system of grading will allow for the flexibility that this situation requires. 

“The administration has been working very hard to come to this decision and deal with any other concern relating to online schooling during the pandemic,” Smith said, “They have been meeting daily over the phone, Zoom meetings, and email.”

He also mentioned “this journey is completely new for all of us, and there was not much time to prepare, but we maintained a focus on what would be best for kids. Our teachers have been asked to focus on priority standards and essential skills. We are encouraging people to be reasonable with expectations and use common sense since every family is dealing with a different home situation. People need to be compassionate, considerate, and flexible as we continue to take things one day at a time.”