The coronavirus outbreak is a nightmare. It has been an unforeseen disruption in the rhythm of the Spring 2020 semester.  With this pandemic making its presence heavily known right around spring break, it is safe to assume that there are plenty of students affected by this pandemic physically and emotionally. As health should be our top priority, additional school stress should not be imposed by the education system.

Clearly, these times are abnormal and not ideal. More than 30 states have closed schools, and the Texas Governor has cancelled the STAAR test for the first time since its existence.

With us being halfway through the semester, options are very limited. My recommendation for this semester is to adjust the grading system to pass/fail for the rest of the semester, so it does not affect our overall GPA. With all these imminent changes happening during midterm season, I don’t think any university grading system is advanced enough to properly assess whether a student deserves an A, B, C, D or F in any course. Taking this into account, a pass/fail system is most fitting.