Since yesterday Dec. 17, RBHS students were denied access from viewing overall class percentages on Home Access, Columbia Public School (CPS) district’s official platform for student attendance, grades and registration information.
Guidance secretary Lisa Davis attributes the problem to a mere technical ‘glitch.’
“There’s an issue with tech services with the program that it should be showing the overall class grades, but it’s not,” Davis said. “There’s lots of changes going on right now with the Home Access and inputting the final exams. Some of the classes you are going to see — some you are not.”
Students scrambling to check their grades were confused and apprehensive as to not being able to see their classes’ overall grade percentage. Among the frustrated student population was junior Ellen Dill-Hirsch. When she logged on yesterday, only two of her classes appeared to view correctly: Honors Chemistry and Floral & Plant Design, a class offered by the Columbia Area Career Center (CACC).
“It’s annoying because everything in eschool up to now is just the 90% portion of your grade,” Dill-Hirsch said. “I just want to know how the final exam is going to affect my grade because the [final exam] is often the determining factor. I think we, as students, have the right to know.”
Dill-Hirsch’s AP Language and Composition teacher Deborah McDonough has received complaints and protests from students about not being able to see their final exam score, as well as their overall class grade, causing frustration and angst on both ends.
“We are just following what the administrators in this school have asked us to do,” McDounough said. “The whole grade book is a nightmare right now, but regardless of whether or not we put in your final exam grade and click it to average it in, it will not show up on Home Access.”
Final grades from teachers are due to be uploaded by Wednesday, Jan. 6. Students will receive their final grade report upon returning from winter break Friday, Jan. 8.
How did this glitch affect you?