Feeling angry about the grading policy at Skyline? Chances are, according to a survey done by The Skyline Post, your friends are as well.
To understand how students are feeling about the grading policy, The Post shared a survey through Schoology grade level groups and individual solicitations, and collected 70 responses between September 23rd-27th. 12% of respondents report positive response to grading policies; 29% report mixed feelings; and 59% report negative reactions.
Since the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, Skyline has been using a different grading policy than other schools in Ann Arbor. Grade percentages are no longer visible to students in Powerschool, and the minimum grade is no longer set at 0%, but 50%. These are just a few aspects of the larger policy, explained here.
The hidden grade percentages received the largest number of student complaints and critiques in particular. Approximately 50% of respondents report dissatisfaction with the hidden grade percentages.
“[Seeing our percentages] encourages us to do better in our class to ensure we have a solid grade,” says Vikash Patel (‘26). “It just doesn’t seem [like] anywhere near a good idea to get rid of [it]… Compared to the lack of percentages in powerschool, the new phone policy seems flawless.”
Reported opinions about the 50% minimum grade rule are also overwhelmingly negative; only one student responded positively. “Stuff like the 50% rule doesn’t help students [who] actually need the policy,” says Nithila Balaji (‘25). “It lets other students get away with having a bad work ethic. An equity-based grading system needs to be more than that.”
Many Skyline students only know the basics of the grading policy. About half of survey respondents claim that they fully understand the grading policy, while the other 50% claim to understand only some of it. However, questions and confusion were expressed by respondents in both groups. Concerns weren’t limited to the newest changes; concerns about older aspects like the 80/20 mastery grading policy also surfaced.
“I don’t understand why process work is only 20% of one’s overall grade,” says Stuart Knight (‘25). “I feel like the process work I do actually ends up being what I spend most of my time on.”
76% of the class of ‘25 and ‘26 report no change in grades since implementation of the new policy. 18% report that their grades went up. 6% report that their grades went down.
