This fall at St. Luke’s, the buzz on campus isn’t the improved Flik food or sports team victories; it’s all about the new grading system. The changes announced at the beginning of this school year are meant to reflect the school’s educational philosophy. In a recent interview, Liz Perry, Assistant Head of School for Academics, and Jim Yavenditti, Director of Studies, shed light on the motivation behind these changes and how they aim to reshape the school’s academic landscape.

The move towards standardization seeks to create a level playing field, offering students consistency no matter which teacher they have.

“We started with the policies I linked to in the handbook (see page 18): extra credit, revisions, things like that… It was very important to me that the policies be fair to students. That [difference in policy based on teacher] wasn’t a fair situation we had for students,” Perry explained. 

While students may feel apprehensive about the new system, Yavenditti highlighted that “juniors and seniors feel the change more as a loss, whereas 9th graders haven’t lost anything.” The adjustment is a departure from familiarity and comfort for older students.

One notable aspect of this change is the adoption of a mastery grading system for some STEM classes. The aim here is to encourage students to venture into unfamiliar academic territories by lessening the fear of hurting their GPA. 

As Yavenditti put it, “If a student is worried about not getting a high grade in a class such as Computer Science I, they might be discouraged from discovering the joys of coding.”

A point of contention in the community has been the applicability of this new grading system to humanities versus STEM classes. Perry acknowledged this concern: “I recognize how students may feel that we are still using points in that regard, only to translate them in a way that may look like a detraction from the grade.” 

Humanities classes have often used letter grades for papers where a number grade feels less natural. Perry wants the same for STEM classes, as she believes there are multiple ways to provide feedback to students. 

Students, however, have shared a different perspective, showing apprehension about the change of a tried and true system.

“In taking away the number system, it feels more like a label,” said Lily Rothschild ‘26. “It puts more pressure on me. Whereas when I see a 93/100, that feels like a representation of the work I did.” 

The rounding of grades has also been a topic of discussion. Perry explained that the new grading scale operates within a revised percentage range to maintain fairness and avoid grade inflation. “We don’t want grade deflation either,” she emphasized, assuring that these changes won’t adversely affect college admissions.

Despite Perry’s assertion, students have concerns about how their grades will look for snapshots and first-semester grades. 

“My first physics quiz of the year went in as a B+, and if the numerical score were 0.5 points higher, it would be an A-,” says Olivia Lee ‘24. “While it seems like a small difference, it really affects my snapshots.”

Another notable change is that the calculation of final grades has shifted from numerical averages to letter grades in classes not using the mastery scale. While this transition may raise concerns for students, Perry clarified, “It’s a shift to thinking in terms of buckets. There’s a range of students who scored a four on the AP. They didn’t all have the same performance, but it’s a range. I think that’s the mindset adjustment.”

Still, many students on campus are weary of the change after growing accustomed to the previous system. Jack Lyons ‘24 said, “I think it’s a cool idea, but I’m a little scared that my grades won’t average out like they would with exact percentiles at the end of the semester.”

Ultimately, the new system aims to change the grade-centric culture. Perry envisions a future where “students have a little bit of critical distance from their grades” and where making mistakes is seen as part of the learning process. While there might be initial confusion, she said, “It’s our job to make sure that grades don’t go down because of this; if anything, I think it’s more likely that grades will slightly go up.”

The new grading system at St. Luke’s represents a bold step toward fostering a culture of learning over grades. While there may be concerns and adjustments, the school administration remains committed to ensuring fairness, transparency, and the overall well-being of its students.

As the SLS community experiences more of this new system, Computer Science & Engineering Department Chair, Zach Brusko reminds us, “Feedback is always important, but…it needs to be given mindfully.  A lot of time, research, careful thought and conversation went into our new policy….It was crafted by people who have given their professional lives to studying and doing what is best for students.  Because of that, I am confident we have ultimately come to a decision that is in the best interest of student learning….All that being said, the feedback of those affected most directly is always welcome.”