Annandale High School featured in TV news report on failing grades during pandemic

A screenshot from a “Good Morning America video, shows reporter Alex Presha interviewing Annandale High School teacher Catie Bishop in front of the school.

Annandale High School was featured in a segment on “Good Morning America” Dec. 5 on how students across the nation are failing academically due to the challenges of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In Fairfax County, the percentage of middle and high school students failing at least two classes is up 83 percent from last year. The news program also notes that school districts in Los Angeles, Houston, and St. Paul have rising numbers of students with failing grades. 

In Fairfax County, students having the most difficulty with online learning tend to be minorities and English language learners. On “Good Morning America,” two sisters at Annandale High School, a junior and a senior, told reporter Alex Presha how they have to be in the same room at home while taking their online classes. 

Catie Bishop, a history teacher at AHS, talks about the difficulties of getting students to show up for online classes. “There’s no bell telling them to log on. They have to use their own time management,” she says.

Annandale Principal Shawn DeRose says it’s important to recognize this is the first quarter of the year. “I’m confident that as disappointing and troubling as those numbers are, now that we have that information, schools and teachers will make adjustments and things will improve moving forward.” 

Related story: Some Fairfax County students who had returned to school are back to all-virtual learning

In an email message to the AHS community, DeRose provides more information on how students are faring during the pandemic. 

“For the most part, students at Annandale who have been academically successful in the past are thriving in a virtual environment,” he says. “There has been a more than 9 percent increase in the number of A’s students are earning compared to this time last year.”

“However, for students who have struggled academically prior to COVID-19, achievement continues to be difficult. We have seen a 4 percent increase in the number of Fs,” DeRose says. “Although we are not experiencing the severity in the increase of failing grades that is being seen elsewhere, it is concerning to see COVID-19 widening the gap between students who are successful and those who are not.”

He says AHS is taking steps to ensure students are successful with distance learning: 

• Teacher teams are designing high-quality lessons and moving toward instruction that is less teacher centered and more student centered. 
• The Pride Time program started Nov. 13 to provide targeted support to students who need additional practice time and feedback from teachers. A staff member follows up with students who miss their Pride Time class. 
• AHS hired a team of staff members to conduct home visits for students who are struggling academically, socially, or emotionally. During these visits, school staff build rapport with families and connect them with resources to help students succeed in school.
• During the coming weeks, counselors and administrators will reach out to students who are failing multiple core classes. They will work with struggling students to remove barriers to learning and help them get back on track. 

FCPS middle and high school students are tentatively scheduled to return for in-school instruction Jan. 26, but that could be pushed back depending on the health metrics.