​A new way to grade: WHS adopts 80/20 policy

Source: Harvard study on grading

By Avery Almada '27

For Wethersfield High School students, one bad test could now have a bigger impact on their grades. A new 80/20 grading policy, introduced at the start of the 2026-2027 school year, makes summative assessments worth 80 percent of students’ grades while formative assessments make up the remaining 20 percent.

​With the school year just beginning, students are still figuring out how the change will affect their grades and study habits.

The new policy is intended to create a more consistent grading structure across classes. According to Wethersfield High School Principal Siobhan O’Connor, the policy was created after the school noticed large differences in grades between teachers who taught the same courses. Students could perform similarly on assessments but receive different overall grades because teachers used different systems. The school had been considering a change for about two years. "I need to at least level the playing field," O’Connor said.

The school also noticed students earning high grades through homework and classwork while their assessment grades showed they were struggling with the material. O’Connor said the new system is intended to give students a clearer picture of what they know while still giving them opportunities to succeed in areas they find difficult.

Under the policy, the 80 percent category includes assessments, projects, and other work where students receive feedback to improve their performance. The remaining 20 percent includes mostly completion-based work. "It’s the feedback that helps you grow as a learner," O’Connor said.

The new system may also change how students approach their schoolwork. O’Connor said she hopes students will take assessments more seriously, use opportunities to revise their work, and seek extra help when they are struggling.

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"I need to at least level the playing field." (Principal Mrs. O'Connor)

For some students, the heavier weight of assessments has already changed how they approach their grades.

Haily Nguyen, a senior at WHS, said the new system has already affected her grades. After receiving an 8.5/10 on one of her first Spanish assessments, she said her grade dropped significantly. Although she was able to raise her grade again, the experience made her more worried about the impact of individual assessments.

Nguyen also said the new system has changed how she prepares for assessments. She now studies "more frequently and thoroughly" because she feels each score can have a greater effect on her grade. However, she said the extra studying has left her with less rest and made her more tired in the morning.

The policy has also changed how Nguyen views individual grades. "We’ve been told that one single grade doesn’t define you and doesn’t matter, but due to the 80/20 distribution, that statement doesn’t feel true," she said.

Giulia DiCenso, a senior at WHS, said she was initially confused by the policy and became upset once she understood what it meant. She questioned whether the same grading system works for every class, saying, "I think it makes it very difficult because all classes are very different."

For Gabriella Deda, a senior at WHS, the increased weight of assessments has made tests more stressful. Although the system has not changed how she prepares for tests, she said she is more worried about making mistakes. "The only difference is I’m way more stressed out now because it feels like one mistake can erase all that I’ve worked for," she said.

As the school year continues, students will continue adjusting to the new grading system. The policy is intended to make grading more consistent and emphasize understanding course material, but it is still too early to know how the change will affect students throughout the school year.