The “G” grade is nothing new to Pioneer High School. It gives a student credit for the class without affecting their GPA. Before the pandemic the grade was not common and many colleges viewed the grade as a cheap way to pass the class.

 “But,” said Pioneer head of counseling Christine Woods, “during the height of quarantine colleges were much more lenient especially because students were able to give context to why they received the grade, now we are going back to how it was.”

Transitioning from a COVID time to now is a harsh adjustment and is beginning with the school system. When a student feels like they need a G to maintain their record they have to go directly to their teacher and ask for the grade. But, as time goes on away from the pandemic the school system is not as keen on the delivery of the grade.

“We are very careful when and where we use them now that we are out of the pandemic,” said fellow counselor Sara Vance.

Both the student and the teacher want to see the student succeed, but success might look different to one another. The student might view succeeding as completing the class so they believe they deserve a G. Conversely, the teacher might believe the student did not have a passing level understanding of the concepts within the course, so the teacher has the option to refuse the student the grade.

“The actual decision lies with the teacher,” continued Woods. “The teacher can give a G grade if they feel the student has mastered enough of the concept to get a G”, she continued. 

When the pandemic hit Pioneer students many were negatively affected and their grades suffered as well. Because of this fact colleges were able to understand what the student was going through and comprehend the need for the G grade. But as society shifts out of COVID times colleges, scrutiny of the grade is mounting as well.

“Now that we are mostly out of pandemic circumstances most competitive colleges are going to view it as the student passed around the D range,” continued Vance. “Being able to have that connection with the colleges of the grade was a privilege that is not available anymore.”