The coronavirus has shut down schools all across the nation and world. Along with the stress of this virus, many students are stressing over how to keep their grades up while adjusting to the new way of learning. 

Learning online is not as easy as it sounds. Sure you can have a video call with your teacher and class but with that there comes lag and it is hard to hear what everyone is saying. 

This is why I believe it would be a good idea for not just GlenOak but all schools. in Ohio to go to a pass or fail grading method. Basically this is a grading method that takes away the typical letter grades of A, B, C, D, or F. On your report card all anyone would see is a P or an F. 

Having only a pass or fail grading method will eliminate most of the stress students are going through. For example, if a straight A student is getting Bs or Cs because they are having a hard time with online learning they will have nothing to worry about, now they will just have a P. There would be no reason to stress over slipping up because online learning is difficult. 

Many unviersties have adapted this method since  the closing of in-person learning. Almost all of the Ivy league schools have adapted this method for their spring semester allowing students to take some of the stress off maintaining a 4.0.

¨This new terminology is purposely chosen to indicate the unique nature of this semester¨ said Claudie Gay, Havard’s dean of the faculty, The Guardin. 

If Ivy League colleges are worried about their students not doing as well with online learning shouldn’t high schools be worried to? If college students can not learn as well online then neither can high school students. Keeping the current grading system is putting too much stress on students. 

There are also students who have work. Some are considered essential workers. This makes it hard for students to complete a test by 11:30 a.m. if they have work in the morning. The students’ grades could slip because they can not focus on a test while they are working.  

Teachers should be worried about if students are understanding what they are teaching, not if the student passed a test. 

Ohio needs to adapt this method along with the whole nation. This pass/fail method takes a lot of stress off of students. It allows the students to focus more on understanding what is being taught to them other than how to cram for a huge test they have tomorrow. Pass or Fail will improve the new ways of online learning and allow students to focus on their learning more.