The eSchoolData student portal is a tool that students at Hastings High School regularly use to check their grades throughout the school year. While it is normally updated on a daily basis, the portal’s gradebook closes during the final week of each quarter and does not open until report cards are released around two weeks later. This policy has been in place for years, but it is highly controversial among students.
Many HHS students are frustrated by these policies because they feel it adds to the already overwhelming stress that comes with the end of the quarter. Several students say the portal closure affects how they experience the end of each quarter. Alina Abrams, a junior at Hastings High School, says that the portal closure makes her feel “really paranoid” because the grades that come in during the final week of the quarter are usually “tests or essays that can considerably impact your quarter average if you get a certain grade.” Sophomore Roxy Griffin agrees, stating that “a lot of grades get put in right when the portal closes so [she] never knows[s] what [she] ha[s].” Aya Mansour, a junior, concurs, noting that “test grades take forever” and are often released towards the end of the quarter, and while she “get[s] I that it is hard for teachers,’ this makes final grades more unpredictable because “tests are weighted the most.”
Administrators, however, see the policy differently. Principal Andrew Clayman explains that although he wasn’t around when the policy was enacted, he understands some of the rationale behind the portal closure. He feels that the policy aims to address two main issues: student anxiety and teacher stress. He worries that keeping the portal open would “produce a lot of anxiety,” leading to an environment where students are “always panicked” and “refreshing their portal constantly after submitting something.” He worries about a potential reality where “if [a student] submits something on Tuesday and the marking period ends Friday, they would refresh Tuesday at midnight, Wednesday morning, midday, Thursday, constantly.” Because of these stressors, Mr. Clayman believes that if the portal were to stay open, “the opportunity for anxiety to spiral under that tight timeframe [would be] significant.”
On the contrary, many students argue that not having a clear picture of what their final grades will be actually heightens their anxiety. The general consensus among students is that keeping the portal open would cause less worry during an already stressful time of the school year. As Roxy Griffin explains, “even if I got a grade I wasn’t happy with, at least I’d know about it instead of suddenly seeing it in my report card and thinking, ‘Oh no.’” Aya Mansour agrees, stating that, “even in the last week when the portal closes, we still have assignments — it’s not like the work stops. And if the portal closes before the teacher enters everything then I don’t know what I got on half of it.” Students also feel that there is a lack of communication from the school. Aya Mansour notes that she has “never heard the reasoning behind the portal closure,” and many students echo this statement, asserting that the school has never clearly explained the goals of its policy. This confusion likely adds to the frustration among HHS students.
Mr. Clayman believes that another reason for the portal closure is to “help buffer against additional stress” for teachers, because he feels that the end of the marking period is “just as stressful for teachers as it is for kids.” He worries that if students were always able to see their grades on the portal, they may have questions and email their teachers, which he fears could put the teachers in a situation where “they would be choosing between staying up until one in the morning responding to emails and also grading, and then they [couldn’t] get planning done for classes.” He thinks that this could potentially lead to a “snowball effect” where “teachers miss the grading deadline, [and then] we cannot publish report cards.” Because of this, he feels that one of the driving factors behind the portal closure is “to protect teachers’ time so that they can grade, plan lessons, and still respond to legitimate concerns students might have in those final couple weeks.”
If students want to know their grades during the portal closure, they have to visit each teacher in person. This can be difficult for students who are busy with extracurriculars or who want to use academic coaching time to study or work on homework assignments. Roxy Griffin agrees that this is a challenge, sharing that she often wants to know her class grades at the end of the quarter so she can “see if [she] needs to do extra credit or talk to [her] teacher,” but when the portal is closed, it “takes a lot of time” to go to each class. Aya Mansour agrees that the time aspect is difficult. She explains, “if I’m busy and don’t check before the portal closes, then I have no idea what I missed.”
Aside from a mid-quarter check-in and the quarterly report card, Mr. Clayman acknowledges that there are not many systems in place to ensure students understand their academic standing during the final week of the quarter. He suggests a possible adjustment to the policy that would involve “ send[ing] an email reminding students that the portal is about to close two days before it officially closes” so that students know to “review their grades and have any necessary conversations with teachers” before it’s too late.
Mr. Clayman hesitates to make any final judgments because, as he states, “I don’t feel like I have spent enough time observing how this policy plays out to have developed my own opinions. I see both sides to the concern.” Mr. Clayman also notes that changing the policy is not his main priority because, as a newer administrator, “[his] goal is not to come in and change everything that [he] see[s] as potentially concerning.” Mr. Clayman also shares that this policy is “not something [he] has received a lot of feedback around.” Nevertheless, he is open to change, stating, “if I had a group of students passionate about this and teachers with strong opinions on the other side, I would say let’s get in a room together and figure out something that works for everybody.”