Cobb County and Marietta City schools won’t see their grades drop amid the coronavirus pandemic that’s turned traditional classroom learning on its head.

Both school systems will not apply grades students earn on their work if they negatively affect the overall grade they had in a class before the closures.

Marietta and Cobb schools closed their doors March 16 amid the pandemic, but have instituted digital learning efforts to make sure students don’t lose what they already mastered.

“We want to respect and acknowledge the effort and dedication of our students and teachers, but we are also aware that not all students have the same degree of access to online learning,” said Marietta City Schools spokeswoman Jen Brock. “We encourage all students to stay engaged and continue to focus on learning during the closure.”

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Marietta has separate guidelines for students in high school from those in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Cobb schools added it will allow students to either accept their grades as of March 13 as their final grades or work towards improving their grades for the rest of the school year.

Grades will be reported as either pass or fail for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, but high school courses will be reported as grades.

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Both school districts are evaluating options for graduation ceremonies. Cobb schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the district continues “to make decisions based first on student and staff safety and in consultation with the Georgia Department of Health and the governor’s office.”

Marietta High School principal Keith Ball is brainstorming the best way to celebrate the system’s seniors, Brock said.

“We are committed to holding a commencement ceremony in Northcutt Stadium when we are able to, based upon safety guidelines and in accordance with instructions from the city, county, and state,” she added.

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