New AP Lang gradeless system fosters individualized growth Sophia Yang and Carissa Tsui February 27, 2024
Parent volunteers keep junior varsity field hockey program afloat Maxwell Zhang and Ketan Altekar-Okazaki September 8, 2022
![Junior Justun Kim reads during the weekly designated independent reading time in teacher Melissa Laptalo's AP Language and Composition class. After much deliberation, the AP Language team is using a new system of grading coined as 'ungrading' that does not give assignments letter or number grades. According to teacher Alanna Williamson, the new system is designed to change students’ focus from just earning points to thinking about learning and growing. “It's a completely different way to reframe your thinking about your grade,” Williamson said. “It [the previous grading system] was very quantitative and this ‘Ungrading’ format makes you think about your skills on a qualitative level and how you're improving ... not how many points you need.” (Photo: Carissa Tsui)](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG_3764-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior varsity field hockey coach Sonia Sethi explains the varsity practice routine to the junior varsity team. Sethi is one of two parent volunteers coaching the junior varsity team after Jennifer Crane, the new athletic director, was unable to find a replacement junior varsity coach. "The varsity team lost a number of very strong senior players [this year]," Sethi said. "So there's an opportunity for... a lot more junior varsity players to come up to varsity." (Photo: Maxwell Zhang)](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Ketan_Iceland_Photo_Collection-12-e1662677749541-900x786.jpg)