At Manitou Springs High School, delayed grading has become a growing concern among students and staff. While staff members work to manage heavy workloads and keep grades current, the delays in putting in grades affect students from getting assigned to labs to sports eligibility.
English teacher and member of the Multi Tiered Support System team, a group of teachers that help support students with academics, Ben Gilliam, feels that the late grading often affects the accuracy of student data that is used to determine lab placement. “When teachers are not putting in grades, it can affect the accuracy of the weekly F data that we pull,” Gilliam said. “A student could be assigned to a lab in which they have no work to get done. It can just make things a bit more challenging as a lab teacher.”
Gilliam believes the situation can also make students feel discouraged when they are assigned to labs by mistake. “I don’t want to say that labs are punishments because they’re not meant to be,” Gilliam said, “but nobody likes to be punished for something when they’re not in the wrong.”
For athletes, the timing of grades can determine whether they’re eligible to compete. Assistant principal and athletic director Brandon DeMatto said teachers are expected to update grades at least once a week to ensure eligibility reports are accurate. “When it’s not put in the gradebook in a timely manner, some of our kids will find themselves in better shape than where they are,” DeMatto said. “Then, if a last minute grade comes in, now all of a sudden a student changes in eligibility.”
DeMatto said that when grades are not updated, administration has direct communication with the teachers to make sure expectations are clear. “We have an expectation that teachers are putting in their grades at least once a week so that they are updated,” DeMatto said. “In the instance that that’s not happening, we’ll have individual reminders and conversations with the teacher.”
While DeMatto believes that the system has improved, he expressed the need for understanding when unexpected situations happen. “There are circumstances that happen with kids that are out of their control, and there’s also circumstances that happen with adults,” DeMatto said. “Being able to have some grace for everybody becomes important because sometimes those unforeseen circumstances get in our way.”
For students, grades being put in late can be stressful. Jonathan North (10) said he was once placed into a lab even though he had a perfect grade in the class. “I think it was stupid that I was in there,” North said. “I’d have to sit there and explain to the teachers all the time how my grades were up in a class.”
North also feels that when teachers take weeks to update grades it can lead to unnecessary stress at home. “It makes me mad a little bit because my mom, she’ll look at it and she’ll bug me about it all the time,” North said. “She’ll tell me to get my grades up when I’ve already done the stuff.”
Kelvin Carroll (11) believes that the sudden grade updates can completely change how students plan their work for the week. “You’ll think you have an 80, where you think you have a good grade, but in reality, it’s a D,” Carroll said. “Then you’ll have a week at the end of the semester when they all put their grades in and it really messes you up.”
Carroll said that he’s had this happen to him multiple times and that the uncertainty can distract him. “When one of your grades is down and you don’t know, it’s really stressful, and it makes it almost impossible to get work done,” Carroll said. “I plan it out ahead of time, and a grade comes in that I thought was high and that messes up my entire schedule.”
Gilliam believes that the district has made a good effort to support teachers with time to manage grades more efficiently. “A huge improvement our district has made in the past few years is setting aside time for teachers as just work time,” Gilliam said. “We’ve been getting about one workday every month, which is just so incredibly helpful. It’s time to catch up on planning and grading.”
While the issue of delayed grades continues to affect both students and staff, many agree that ongoing communication and time management are key to improvement. “It’s tough for teachers, too,” Gilliam said. “But the more accurate the grades, the more fair it is for everyone.”
