Outcry from parents and politicians about a proposed "grading for equity" program has led to San Francisco school officials killing the plan just one day after it was unveiled.
The alternative grading program would have allowed teachers to determine methods of grading students in nontraditional ways that wouldn't necessarily depend on homework or attendance, reported The San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday.
The program was to have been tested among 70 teachers in 14 high schools who would have participated voluntarily.
Some of the ideas in the alternate program are to allow students multiple chances to take tests or redo their essays and to reconfigure the traditional 100 percentage point grading scale, which fails all students having 0% to 59% but allows only 10 percentage points each for the other grade levels.
The issue was discussed at Tuesday's school board meeting after media reports said the matter had been settled. However, the board hadn't voted on a consultant contract, which would train teachers how to implement new grading methods.
By Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan both were criticizing the plan on social media, as were parents, and after the pushback, the school district said it would not move forward with the plan.
"It's clear there are a lot of questions, concerns and misinformation with this proposal," Superintendent Maria Su said 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."
Lurie, attacking the plan, said that the proposed changes to grading would not give the city's young people an education that would prepare them to succeed.
"I have conveyed our view to SFUSD," he said. "We are optimistic that there is a better path forward for our kids and their future."
Mahan, meanwhile, called the proposal a "terrible disservice to our students" and said that "lowering standards does not help children. It hurts them."
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., also came out against the plan, posting on social media that his father, an immigrant, "came to America for the chance to work hard and pursue excellence. Giving A's for 80% and no homework is not equity — it betrays the American Dream and every parent who wants more for their kids."
Several districts nationwide, however, have incorporated grading for equity into their schools to mixed results.
The initiative's creator, Joe Feldman, says that the idea behind it is to give teachers more evidence-based information on grading," as "most teachers receive no training in grading."
According to information on his consulting site, his plan means that teachers can grade differently from one another, even if they are in the same school.
Feldman's plan for San Francisco was to offer the information to teachers and let them choose how to grade their students, while not giving mandates on homework or attendance.
Parents, meanwhile, said they were worried that the method would hinder learning in San Francisco schools.
"I have two high schoolers in the SFUSD system," one parent said. "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."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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