The end of the school year draws near… For students, that means grades and finding out if they’ve been promoted for the following year. In the aftermath of No Child Left Behind, the answer to this is typically yes. Social promotion is at an all time high, and it’s frowned upon if schools have high failure rates. However, in high school, what matters is the credit earned: an F in a class at the end of a semester means you didn’t get the credit. Whether a student is classified as a junior or a senior is meaningless if they have the same amount of credits as a rising sophomore.

Because of this, at this time of year, students and parents often become more aware of grades. And thanks to online grade books, they have instant access and up to the minute confirmation of a student’s grades. For teachers, the end of the school year means talking to more parents and students, usually far too late to be any good. Before we get to that point, here are some things NOT to do (I worded it for students, but the same goes for parents):

1. Do not wait until the last minute. This seems obvious, but it bears saying. Waiting until the last minute doesn’t inspire good will and charitable feelings from teachers. Last minute pleas for assignment amnesty and extensions, particularly from students who have been slacking all year, is not okay. No matter how nice the weather, get your work done on time.
2. Do not harass the teacher because your grade dropped a fraction of a percent. Ditto for if your grade dropped a letter. Chances are good that if you know this, a keystroke or two can tell you why without you bothering the teacher. Look at the most recent grades in the grade book. Were they good? If not, that’s why your grade dropped.
3. Do not ask for extra credit or magic grade raising packets. While this seems like an “easy” solution for you, it’s problematic for several reasons. First, it’s not fair to the other students who are also behind to only offer one or two students these magical semester-savers; to offer this to everyone undermines the value of the work done for the rest of the semester. Additionally, creating something that is actually worth the enough points to raise grades artificially is time-consuming, both to create and to grade. This is time lost from creating engaging end of the year activities, grading the work that’s not extra, and a host of other things on your teacher’s plate.
4. Do not ask why you didn’t know about this failing grade sooner. Not knowing is a choice. Most school districts have online grading systems, so all you have to do is log in and check. If you’re curious and don’t have online access to grades, it’s far easier for you to call or email the teacher to find out than to wait until the very end and then rail at the world for the Fs you see. Don’t get me wrong — if you’re failing all semester, the teacher should definitely let you know in enough time that you can do something about it. But even at a small school, your teachers have far more students than you have teachers, so if they have let a month go past without ensuring that you know what your current grade is, just ask.
5. Do not blame anyone other than yourself for your grades. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own education. Be proactive early — if you don’t understand something, ask questions in class. Email your teacher. Go see them before or after school to get some help. Seek out the assistance of a student with a good grade. Pay a visit to your school’s academic counselor. Don’t just sit by with an F waiting for magic to happen. YOU are the magic that happens to your grades.

Hopefully, this will save you from grade-related trauma in the weeks before the end of the school year. Teachers, feel free to leave a comment if I left something out.