Cell Phones in Schools: Do They Affect the Grades?

In many high schools, the use of cell phones has been banned. In some schools, the mere possession of a cell phone can result in trouble for teens, including losing whole grades, and the teachers obtaining possession of the phones. Cell phones have become a big issue in schools, and controversy has arisen all over the place.

Many parents feel that their children need to carry their phones with them for after school rides, allowing communication between their teen and themselves, and for simple safety reasons, as many high-school students are just receiving their drivers licenses and parents feel they are a safety precaution in case of an emergency. But the schools take a different perspective on the use of phones in school, since many students have found ways to alert their friends of test answers through the use of text messaging, which can be done discreetly and silently. Since many teachers use the same tests for all class periods, kids with the tests in the first hours of the day are able to record the answers and pass them along, or even charge other students, for the answers.

Since cheating has become such a large threat in schools, with the expanding use of the internet and the availability of so many resources, as well as the ease of use through cell phones and passing information, the ban, in some circumstances, does not seem unfair. Students, who are receiving higher grades through cheating, make it far more difficult for other students who are truly putting their best effort forth. Not only are they potentially getting better grades, but they are also raising the grade standards for the high school as well as the possibility of getting into certain colleges who require higher grade point averages. When many students start receiving high grade point averages, it raises the standard for all students to meet.

The use of cell phones in school may not directly affect the student’s grades, but in some schools where the ban has been put in place, just the possession of a cell phone seen by a teacher could result in a dock of a full letter grade. Other schools are trying to prevent the threat of cheating through test messaging and other methods by simply not allowing them. But the threat is still there, you’ll always have cheaters, and you’ll always have those who benefit from doing so and breaking the rules that were put in place for a reason.