Latest news with #GradingforEquity
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
San Francisco school district ditches proposed 'Grading for Equity' strategy after backlash from community
The San Francisco Unified School District will not be moving forward with a controversial equity grading strategy that was proposed this week after significant backlash. The strategy, known as "Grading for Equity," was presented during a SFUSD Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, according to Superintendent Maria Su, with the goal of offering "professional development opportunity in standards-based grading." Under the proposed standards, how a student scores on the final exam, which could be taken multiple times, would be what counts toward their grade for the semester, according to the Voice of San Francisco. Homework and weekly tests would not impact the grade, and neither would late assignments, tardiness to class or absence from school. College Dropouts Celebrate At Unconventional 'Graduation' Ceremony In San Francisco The letter-grade system would also be significantly altered, allowing students who score an 80 to receive an A and students who score as low as a 21 to pass with a D, which models the "Grading for Equity" system in the San Leandro Unified School District, Voice of San Francisco reported. Read On The Fox News App The new system was supposed to be tested by 70 teachers in 14 SFUSD schools until the community, including the mayor and lawmakers, spoke out against the proposal. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote on X that the younger generation is owed "an education that prepares them to succeed" and the "changes to grading at SFUSF would not accomplish that." "I have conveyed our view to SFUSD. We are optimistic that there is a better path forward for our kids and their future," he wrote, in part. Tensions Flare At School Board Meeting After Trans Athlete Wins Multiple Track Events U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., called out the proposal, sarcastically describing it as a "brilliant solution." "San Francisco has come up with a brilliant solution for its failing schools. Students simply won't be failed," Kiley wrote on X. "Under the new 'Grading for Equity' plan, Fs are now Cs; Bs are now As; homework and tests are ungraded; truancy is unpunished; and finals can be re-taken again and again." U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., also shared his opinion on the proposed grading system on his personal X account. "My immigrant dad asked me where the missing 10% went when I scored a 90. He came to America for the chance to work hard & pursue excellence. Giving A's for 80% & no homework is not equity—it betrays the American Dream and every parent who wants more for their kids," he wrote. A statement from Su on SFUSD's X account on Wednesday said that there have been no changes to grading practices within the school district and no action was taken at the meeting. She said each student within the school district is held to a high standard and SFUSD's goal is to "support student success by prioritizing learning and mastery." "It's clear that there are a lot of questions, concerns and misinformation with this proposal. We want to make sure any changes benefit our students," Su wrote, in article source: San Francisco school district ditches proposed 'Grading for Equity' strategy after backlash from community
San Francisco Chronicle
28-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
SFUSD kills controversial grading proposal after backlash
San Francisco school officials killed plans Wednesday to test out alternative ways to grade some high school students after politicians and parents panned the proposal in the wake of misinformation about it. An estimated 70 teachers in 14 high schools — about 10% of the educators in grades nine to 12 — were expected to participate in a voluntary program to align grades more closely to student learning rather than attendance, participation or other factors. Some of those factors included whether a student brings in cans for a food drive or whether their parents sign a permission slip, according to the background information provided by the district on the 'Grading for Equity' initiative. That could also mean giving students multiple chances to take tests or redo essays and reconfiguring the grading scale to address inherent problems with a 100-point grading scale — which disproportionately assigns an F for 0 to 59 points, but only 10 points each for the other grades. The issue was discussed at the Tuesday school board meeting after media accounts presented the plan as a done deal. The board, however, had yet to consider a $172,000 contract with a consultant, who developed the Grading for Equity initiative, to train teachers on how to implement a new grading system. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan took to social media Wednesday to criticize the proposal while parents slammed the plan on Facebook, reflecting how fraught debates about academic achievement and equity have become. In the wake of the pushback, the school district said it would not forward with it at this time. 'It's clear there are a lot of questions, concerns, and misinformation with this proposal,' said Superintendent Maria Su in a statement. 'We want to make sure any changes benefit our students. I have decided not to pursue this strategy for next year to ensure we have time to meaningfully engage the community.' 'We owe our young people an education that prepares them to succeed. The proposed changes to grading at SFUSD would not accomplish that,' he wrote. 'I have conveyed our view to SFUSD. We are optimistic that there is a better path forward for our kids and their future.' Mahan also weighed in on the proposal on social media, saying 'I try to stay in my San Jose lane, but as a former East Side public school teacher I have to say — this is a terrible disservice to our students. Lowering standards does not help children. It hurts them.' Rep. Ro Khanna posted on social media that his immigrant dad 'came to America for the chance to work hard & pursue excellence. Giving A's for 80% & no homework is not equity—it betrays the American Dream and every parent who wants more for their kids.' Khanna recently posted about Palo Alto Unified removing honors biology as an option for freshman year, a controversial move that also sparked parent backlash. Palo Alto has also been engaged in a debate about creating a fairer and more evidence-based grading system. Rumors and misinformation about the San Francisco plan circulated among parents and in media articles, which falsely stated that the Grading for Equity plan would remove homework and weekly tests from a student's grade and that a final exam, which could be taken multiple times, would be the only determining factor in the grade. Parents responded that such changes would dumb down San Francisco schools. 'I have two high schoolers in the SFUSD system,' said one parent who asked not to be identified. 'What possible message can they take from this plan other than to conclude that working hard and applying oneself is for suckers? Not a great way to prepare them for the challenges of adulthood.'
Newsweek
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
San Francisco Public Schools Convert F's to C's, B's to A's in Equity Push
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. San Francisco's public high schools will implement a sweeping change to their grading system this fall, replacing traditional methods with a policy that allows students to pass with scores as low as 41 percent. The initiative, part of a broader "Grading for Equity" push, is stirring concern among educators, students and parents over academic standards and college readiness. The Context Similar policies across other Bay Area districts—such as Dublin, Oakland and Pleasanton—have seen mixed results and strong community reactions. Dublin Unified attempted a pilot of equity grading in 2023, which included removing zeros for missed assignments and awarding a minimum of 50 percent for any "reasonably attempted" work. That pilot, however, was met with outrage and resistance. Parents created petitions, formed WhatsApp groups and filled school board meetings to protest what they saw as a lowering of standards for their children. The Dublin school board eventually suspended the initiative, though individual teachers were still allowed to use the methods at their discretion. The experiment in San Francisco comes amid — or despite — a broader rethinking of DEI initiatives after the election of Donald Trump, who ran on a platform of excising what he and many others said were "unfair" equity practices in the government and private sectors. What To Know Superintendent Maria Su's plan in San Francisco was not subject to a public vote by the Board of Education, drawing criticism for lack of transparency. The new policy, set to affect more than 10,000 students across 14 high schools, significantly changes how academic performance is measured. Homework and classroom participation will no longer influence a student's final grade. Students will be assessed primarily on a final exam, which they can retake multiple times. Attendance and punctuality will not affect academic standing. The Mission High School and its distinctive tower in the Mission District. The Mission High School and its distinctive tower in the Mission District. Getty Images The plan was first revealed in the fine print of a 25-page agenda and reported by The Voice of San Francisco, a local nonprofit. The outlet reported that the district is hiring Joe Feldman, an educational consultant known for his book Grading for Equity, to train teachers this summer. "If our grading practices don't change, the achievement and opportunity gaps will remain for our most vulnerable students. If we are truly dedicated to equity, we have to stop avoiding the sensitive issue of grading and embrace it," Feldman said in a 2019 blog post for the School Superintendents Association (AASA). Feldman's book outlines how traditional grading can reinforce socioeconomic disparities and proposes alternative strategies for more equitable assessment. According to The Voice of San Francisco, the new system will be modeled in part on the San Leandro Unified School District, where students can earn an A with a score as low as 80 percent and pass with a D at just 21 percent. Under the forthcoming San Francisco policy, a score of 41 percent will qualify as a C. Reactions Split Supporters of the policy say it better reflects real student learning by de-emphasizing behavior-based penalties like late work or missed assignments. However, critics warn the policy could harm students who are already on track for college placement. "Nowhere in college do you get 50 percent for doing nothing," said Laurie Sargent, an eighth-grade English teacher in the Dublin Unified School District, in a 2024 Mercury News report. "Nowhere in the working world do you get 50 percent for doing nothing. If I don't show up to work, they don't pay me 50 percent of my salary—even if I made a reasonable attempt to get there." The change comes amid ongoing financial strain and declining enrollment across the district. While intended to address achievement gaps, critics argue the policy may only obscure the underlying academic challenges rather than solve them. Such a drastic and dramatic change in the high school grading system merits greater attention and scrutiny than the school district has given it so far," wrote John Trasviña, former dean of the University of San Francisco School of Law, in an op-ed for The Voice of San Francisco. Parents in San Francisco also have expressed frustration over being left out of the decision-making process. The school district's Office of Equity has not updated its public materials in nearly three years, and no broad outreach appears to have been conducted ahead of the rollout. What People Are Saying Katherine Hermens, a biology teacher at Dublin High School, told EdSurge in 2023: "It is time to emphasize learning over effort. Prioritizing learning is exactly what equitable grading does. It recognizes the individual journey of every student and acknowledges that we all learn differently—at our own pace and in various ways." John Trasviña, former dean of the University of San Francisco School of Law, wrote in an op-ed: "Grading for Equity de-emphasizes the importance of timely performance, assignment completion, and consistent attendance." What Happens Next School board members in San Francisco were reportedly not given a formal vote on this policy, triggering internal governance disputes. If there is enough public pressure, the Board of Education may seek to review or override the superintendent's decision, though there is no suggestion as of yet that such a move is imminent.
