As many students are aware of by now, Loudoun County Public Schools changed their grading and retake policy this year. Now, students are only eligible for retakes if they score under a 70%, and a 70% is the highest they may achieve on a retake.

This differs from last year, where students could retake up to an 80% after scoring below 80%. Some believe that this threshold was too high and allowed students to slack off on important tests.

Many school districts around the country are implementing stricter grading policies like the one LCPS recently started. These changes reflect societal shifts as the education system recovers post-pandemic and standards change.

“The new 70% retake policy causes more stress & inconvenience for all the students,” sophomore Allison Megow said. “With the old one, you had a higher chance for redemption and didn’t need to worry as much about your grade, but more about if you were actually retaining and learning the information.”