As COVID-19 changed our landscape, K-12 students saw their world shrink to the confines of their computers. Because so many districts in Illinois were unprepared for remote learning, students’ grades in the last quarter of the 2020 school year could not have a negative impact on their second semester grade for that year. Many students then had no incentive to work. For those happy with their grades, coasting for the rest of the year was a no-brainer. Kids whose families struggled to make ends meet replaced school with work, and education was placed on the back burner — a different “normal.”
Students in dual credit classes had a different path. While nothing could negatively affect their high school grades, dual credit classes continued. Since colleges and universities moved quickly to a remote learning environment, high school students enrolled in those classes moved forward as well. This didn’t please my dual credit kiddos.
While their fellow students had the perceived choice to work or not, these kids, if they wanted to earn a decent grade for the college portion of the class, had to give 100% to their dual credit courses. It wasn’t perfect, but students kept working, learning and putting effort into their education.
