Constant Contact: Does instant access to grades help or hurt students?

By Sara Beaupre '26
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One would think that the ability to check up on your grades whenever you want is a good thing, but is it possible that it is causing a slip in academic performance? Is it bad that students can automatically see how much their grades drop after one missed assignment? Would it be more appropriate to release a bunch of grades at the end of each week?
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Many students believe that it is a good thing that they can log in whenever they need to to see their grades. However, it would also be nice for students to be able to choose. There should be choices in the settings of PowerSchool to be able to choose when they want to be updated.


Options could include receiving updates at the end of each week, every other week, or at the end of each month, instead of having the entire thing stuck on one updating system. Consistent access to grades is often considered a useful tool; however, when it is abused, students may begin to decide that their grade can handle a few missed assignments.

The issue isn’t quite as clear-cut as it may seem. After conducting a survey among classmates, the consensus was that being able to log in whenever they need to is a good thing. This allows them to see what they need to work on and ask for help as a result. If grades didn’t update until a set time, it would be more difficult to get the help you need, as you would have no idea what you even need help with.


According to the survey, one student said: “It’s very helpful for us to have constant access to our grades, so that we know what we need to improve and work towards that.” Logically, this makes sense, because if you are unable to see your grades, you will never know when you need to ask for help.


On the contrary, when a student is absent, a zero is automatically placed in the assignment slot until it is complete, which in some cases tanks their grade. For example, one student said the system "causes stress, but I do like knowing what my grade is in order to know what I need to improve it.” They admit that the constant access to grades is daunting, however helpful it may be.


Ultimately, students agree with having constant access to PowerSchool. As for the frequency of the updates, that is something each student should be able to decide for themselves. Whether it is a setting you can change at will or a prompt before you log on, it should be each student’s choice.


However, PowerSchool isn’t only a student tool. Teachers and administrators also have their own version that could be improved. Mrs. Hasler, a WHS vice principal, stated that she thinks it would be cool to have a system that only updated at certain intervals. She mentioned that ParentSquare, a tool for parents, has settings to change the frequency of updates. It would be helpful if those settings could also be applied to PowerSchool.


Even if the fix is as simple as allowing teachers to draft grades instead of them automatically being sent out, that would be beneficial for the staff. Similarly, if students were to receive their updated grades in a digest at the end of each week, it would give teachers more time to get everything done without the added stress of a constant battery of questions from kids wanting to know what they got on their last test.
Being able to log onto PowerSchool whenever you want is good, but choosing when you see those updates should be an option. Perhaps it would be nice to have something you can control when it comes to grades. So, what is your opinion? Should the system be changed, or is it good enough the way it is?

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