Participation, like many of the other things that most teachers at MVHS score, is received in various ways by students. Some, like senior Jasnoor Kaur, believe that participation grades show involvement in class, which is crucial to learning. Kaur believes that the importance of being engaged makes it necessary to have participation be a graded component of a class. According to Kaur, without participation, one could read a textbook and get tested without being engaged in class or contributing at all.
Others, like sophomore David Trinh, believe that participation shouldn’t be graded, as students contribute meaninglessly in order to boost their grades. Junior Rashmi Ghonasgi agrees with this; she believes that teachers call on students to get them to speak in class, which can be frustrating, especially if the student doesn’t know how to respond. However, despite what students think, teachers will make their own choices in determining whether or not they will design their grading system to provide a participation grade.
