The second-largest school district in California is forsaking standard grading systems in an attempt to fix minority students’ disproportionate grades.
San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) has approved changes to its grading-scale system in an effort to fight alleged racism.
The school district, California’s second-largest, approved changes that include switching from average grades throughout the year to grading students on their “mastery of the material.”
“This is part of our honest reckoning as a school district,” said district Vice President Richard Barrera. “If we’re actually going to be an anti-racist school district, we have to confront practices like this that have gone on for years and years.”
The new system also includes no grading penalties for late assignments. Students will be graded by a “citizenship grade,” which apparently encompasses behavior, work ethic, effort and other non-academic factors at school.
SDUSD data shows that black students receive a D or an F grade 20% of the time while white students only receive a D or an F grade 7% of the time, and Asian students receive those grades even less.
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress from 2019 and 2015 shows that California scored lower than the national average in math, reading and science for grades 4 and 8. A U.S. News & World Report rank also placed California at #37 (out of 50) in terms of how well states prepare students for college.
If the liberal state’s schools continue to get rid of long-held standards for education, their students will struggle even more.
As Americans, we have a duty to fight discrimination where it exists, but we also have a responsibility to the students who are the future of our nation. San Diego’s school district may be soft on standards, but the real world is not. No matter their race, religion or creed, students need to be prepared for success as American citizens.