The 2023-2024 school year kicked off with numerous structural changes. We returned to the school bell, new clocks, and a merged schedule with the middle school, all to ensure that academic life would run smoothly. However, one alteration has been criticized by the student body: a new policy authorizing use of both AIS-On and Google Classroom. Either platform is an acceptable resource; however, combining the two is confusing, prompting students to ask that the school choose one platform.
Having one educational platform is more efficient for both students and instructors. Currently, many teachers communicate work through both tools, allocating summative assignments to AIS-On, and formative assessments to Google Classroom. Navigating two resources increases the likelihood of incomplete assignments. Students may forget to check both, as their other educators are mainly using one platform, or miss homework while switching between the two. Transferring scores from Google Classroom to AIS-On is time-consuming for teachers as well. Ultimately, the use of a single site is the more reasonable choice.
The muddled employment of AIS-On and Google Classroom contrasts one of Agnes Irwin’s school values: unity. A shared schedule, the all-girl student body, and uniforms ensure that every member of the school is in-sync. In contrast, the situation now with teachers choosing various preferred platforms across classrooms disrupts academic cohesion and upsets the goal of unity across the school. Agnes Irwin should adopt one campus-wide tool for the coming school year.
