GPA Disablement on PowerSchool Sparks Controversy

Written by Anika Ajgaonkar

October 2023

In an ominous email sent out to the school around noon on November 2nd, guidance counselor Mrs. Rada announced that the feature allowing students to see their live GPA on PowerSchool was being disabled. Students will now only be able to view their GPA by requesting an unofficial transcript, or waiting until the end of the school year to see their final report card and transcript in the mail.

// Image from Smart College Admissions.

As expected, this announcement has been met with an explosion of different reactions from Biotech students. At a school with such high emphasis on academic rigor and grades, it was no surprise that many students were deeply frustrated by not being able to see their live GPAs. However, teachers and faculty argue that this obsession with grades and infinitesimal changes in scores is unhealthy, causing students to link their self-worth and academic potential to a mere number. It also contributes to a culture of comparing GPAs and social rankings by grades, which can lead to plummeting self-esteem in the hearts of already grade-conscious students.

Senior Sanika Bane says she didn’t mind the decision, remarking, “I don’t use my GPA that much to track my overall progress; I prefer to look at my individual class averages instead. But I know that this will probably stress out many students. It’s the first thing you used to see when you opened the app, and seeing whether it had gone up or down after a recent grade was put in would send people into a frenzy. Personally, I feel relieved not having to see it.”

Senior Madison MacKenzie rebutted this, saying, “I respectfully disagree. I’ve always used my GPA as a motivator. If I want to end the marking period or school year with a specific GPA, seeing it in PowerSchool helps me track how close I am to reaching that goal in real time. I think this also defeats the purpose of the app, as students have now turned to spreadsheets and other softwares to try calculating their GPAs themselves.

❝ We’re smart kids here at Biotech; it’s only natural that we would try to find ways around this.

Senior Meera Nair expressed, “If I hadn’t been able to see my live GPA starting in freshman year, I would have probably been more accustomed to it by now. But for a lot of students, this decision takes away a feature they’ve gotten used to and don’t know how to function without.” Perhaps this year’s freshmen will have different sentiments about the decision when they become seniors, but only time will tell. In the meantime, Biotech students will have to get used to this new development, as it seems this decision is here to stay. ❧