With the school year slowly coming to an end, standardized testing is back again. But is this year’s testing coming with a twist? On Tuesday, February 27 the Palos Verdes Peninsula school board came to a decision to allow teachers to make grade changes in the late summer. Although we had something similar last year, this policy is new to all. Last year  PV was given the same incentive but it was later terminated because Peninsula High School was not given the same chance. “It is worrisome…The system is not totally equitable,” Superintendent Walker Williams said. Principle Nick Stephany told Palos Verdes News, “ PV high was put in a corner. We were talked to; get your scores up. And we did.”

But this grade change policy is not a part of the district, this policy gives teachers the opportunity to change a student’s grade but it is not mandatory. Math teacher Steve Chudy is one to give his students the opportunity, “ Teachers are the best and only source to determine a student’s grade. He/she must use all available information to be fair and accurate when assessing a student’s grade.”

Students are taking this new policy well and everyone seems to have the same views on it as well.  Sophomore Auzien Homaizad said, “I couldn’t be happier with those grade changes. It gives an opportunity to change your grade last minute.”

Now that every individual teacher has been given the same chance to improve their students grades. It’s also a very good motivator says Alex Branam, sophomore. “It could change that heartbreaking high B to an A.”

Not only does the policy help the student but it helps the school’s API score as well. “The grade change policy is a really good way to motivate kids to do better on the star test and to raise our API score,” states junior Claire McBride. McBride went on to say, “This is what our school needed to prove how academically outstanding we are.”

Not only students are pleased about the grade change. Math teacher Steve Chudy says, “I support the change in the grade change policy. If a AP exam or a STAR exam gives a teacher additional information that can determine the best grade, that is an appropriate thing to do.”