YEAR.
YEAR. ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THEIR FINAL YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL.
EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED.. PROM,
GRADUATION
AND NOW THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
PROCESS.
PROCESS.
PROCESS. AND AS THE KVUE DEFENDERS
DISCOVERED THAT DESPITE SCHOOL DISTRICTS
EFFORTS TO
KEEP KIDS LEARNING - THE
PROCEDURES PUT IN PLACE
LAST YEAR - ARE IMPACTING
STUDENTS.
HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
TERRI GRUCA .
SCHOOL
SCHOOL HARDLY LOOKS THE SAME THIS YEAR. WITH MOST STUDENTS SPENDING
THEIR DAYS LIKE THIS.
AS
AS CHALLENGING AS THIS HAS BEEN -- 17 YEAR OLD ADDISON PHILLIPS - A JUNIOR
AT MCCALLUM HIGH
SCHOOL IS FOCUSED ON HIS FUTURE
AND HIS GPA.
I WOULD SAY I AM DEFINITELY
SOCIAL AND THEN ON THE ACADEMIC
SIDE, I'M DEFINITELY KIND OF
COMPETITIVE, NOT NECESSARILY IVY
LEAGUE STUDENT, BUT I TAKE PRIDE
IN MY GRADES.
BUT
BUT LAST
BUT LAST SPRING- SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE SENT STUDENTS HOME. THEN DECIDED TO
MAKE ALL GRADES PASS FAIL.
THE BIG THING THAT CAME FROM
THAT WAS THAT THESE CLASSES,
ESPECIALLY THE AP CLASSES, WHICH
I
I WAS
I WAS RELYING ON TO KIND OF HELP RAISE MY MY GPA, IT DIDN'T COUNT TOWARDS YOUR GPA, RIGHT.
BECAUSE IT'S A PASS FAIL. SO I
WOULD SUBMIT ALL OF MY
ASSIGNMENTS AND DO MY BEST ON
THEM. AND OF COURSE, I EARNED
A PASS. BUT THAT DOESN'T HELP
YOUR GPA
IT'S A PROBLEM THAT HAS HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS LIKE
NEW BRAUNFELS SENIOR MASON
MITCHELL-- WORRIED.
MITCHELL-- WORRIED.
THERE'S
THERE'S ARE A LOT OF ANXIETY SURROUNDING WHETHER I GET IN OR IF I GOT IN, WHAT KIND OF
COLLEGE EXPERIENCE THAT
I'D HAVE WITH WITH COVID,
WHETHER THAT WOULD STILL BE
AROUND
ANOTHER YEAR.
COVID HAS CREATED CHALLENGES FOR
FAMILIES -- AND FOR COLLEGES.
MANY LIKE UT AND ST. EDWARDS ARE
REASSESSING
WHAT CRITERIA THEY USE TO ASSESS
INCOMING
FRESHMAN.
INCOMING FRESHMAN. MOST COLLEGES ARE MAKING SAT AND
ACT SCORES
OPTIONAL OR NOT USING THEM AT
ALL BECAUSE THEY
UNDERSTAND SOME STUDENTS HAVEN'T
BEEN ABLE TO TAKE
THOSE TESTS.
SO THEY ARE LOOKING FOR HOW
STUDENTS HAVE ADAPTED.
PRONONCED : VASH-A-LESKI
/ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
ADMISSIONS AT UT AUSTIN
IT CAN ALSO COME THROUGH IN
WHAT'S REPORTED ON THE
TRANSCRIPT, THE DIFFERENT GRADES
THAT ARE PROVIDED,
LETTERS OR RECOMMENDATION S, THE
RESUM THAT CAN BE
PROVIDED, AND THEN ALSO ANY SORT
OF QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENTS LIKE
THE ESSAYS OR SHORT ANSWER
QUESTIONS. IT'S
REALLY ABOUT HOW ALL OF THAT
CONNECTS TOGETHER IN A
WAY TO PAINT THAT PICTURE OF WHO
THAT STUDENT IS.
MANAGEMENT ST. EDWARDS "WE'VE
BEEN TRYING TO BE REALLY
THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THAT, TO
UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN REALLY
MEET SOME OF THE NEEDS OF
STUDENTS WHO'VE BEEN
DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY
THE PROCESS OF LEARNING FROM
HOME." > CONT VO
VIDEO AND NATS OF VIRTUAL UT
AUSTIN TOURS
UT AND ST. EDWARDS HAVE PUT
TOGETHER HUNDREDS OF
VIRTUAL
VIRTUAL CAMPUS TOURS-- ALLOWING STUDENTS TO EXPERIENCE COLLEGE VISITS IN
WAYS THEY'VE NOT BEEN ABLE
TO BEFORE.
THEY ARE ALSO ALLOWING STUDENTS
OPPORTUNITIES
TO CONNECT AND SEE WHAT CLASSES
ARE LIKE VIRTUALLY.
SCHOOLS WANT HIGH SCHOOLERS WHO
HAVE
TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES
AND CREATED OTHERS, BUT IT CAN
BE IN SIMPLE WAYS.
MAYBE IT'S IT'S HELPING YOUR
SIBLING WHO'S WHO'S GRAPPLING
WITH ONLINE LEARNING OR A FAMILY
MEMBER THAT'S THAT'S
STRUGGLING WITH DOING EVERYTHING
THEY NEED TO DO IN THIS
ENVIRONMENT. THERE'S STILL
OPPORTUNITIES TO SHOW THOSE
THINGS. THERE'S NO EXPECTATION
THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO FUNCTION OR TO BE ABLE TO DO
THESE THINGS AT THE SAME LEVEL
YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THEM WHEN
COVID RESTRICTIONS
WERE NOT THERE.
NO ONE CAN SAY FOR SURE HOW ALL
OF THIS WILL IMPACT
HIGH SCHOOLERS MOVING FORWARD.
ADDISON SAYS HIS GPA DROPPED
WHEN
WHEN THE
WHEN THE PASS FAIL GRADES WERE FACTORED IN. 9:00 SO YOU HAVE ONE SIDE OF IT
WHERE THE STUDENTS WHO
ARE STRUGGLING ONLINE ARE HURT.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE OTHER
SIDE OF IT WHERE THE STUDENTS
WHO HAVE GONE ABOVE AND
BEYOND ARE HURT. 9:08
WE ASKED AISD WHY AND THE
DISTRICT IS LOOKING INTO
IT, AND SENT US THIS STATEMENT:
STUDENT GPAS ARE UPDATED EVERY
FALL AND SPRING
SEMESTER. FOR THE 2020 SCHOOL
YEAR, ANY CHANGES
TO STUDENT GPAS WERE NOT DUE TO
THE INCLUSION OF
PASS/INCOMPLETE GRADES AWARDED
IN THE SPRING
SEMESTER. IF A CHANGE OCCURRED,
IT IS DUE TO GRADE
CHANGES, CORRECTIONS, AND CREDIT
RECOVERY TO
EXISTING NUMERICAL GRADES.
IT MAKES ME A BIT NERVOUS
BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF, IT IS A
NEW A NEW THING,
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF STUFF,
THERE'S NO ONE TO ASK FOR ADVICE
BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME.
SO IT'S ALWAYS DAUNTING, BUT I'M
EXCITED TO SEE HOW MY WORK AND
SCHOOL WILL PAY OFF.
MASON - JUST RECEIVED HIS FIRST
ACCEPTANCE LETTER IN A TEXT. UNCHARTERED TERRITORY AND THESE STUDENTS ARE
LEADING THE WAY.
TERRI GRUCA, KVUE NEWS.