San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) has overhauled its grading system as part of a larger effort to combat racism. The school board voted unanimously to make major modifications to its grading system after they were presented data that showed more minority students were being failed than their white counterparts.
SDUSD Vice President Richard Barrera said that the changes were part of "Our honest reckoning as a school district, " adding "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 data presented to the board showed the following breakout for failing grades (D or F) in the district during the first semester of 2019:
- 30% to English learners* (25% of these were students with disabilities)
- 23% to Native American students
- 23% to Hispanic students
- 20% to Black students
- 7% to White students
Key changes to the grading system include:
- Academic grades will now focus on mastery of the material instead of being graded on a yearly average as it's believed that this penalizes students who get a slow start or struggle at different points throughout the year.
- Non-material factors will not be included in grading. This includes turning assignments on time and classroom behavior - these will now count towards a student's citizenship grade, not their academic grade.
SDUSD is the second-largest school district in California with nearly106,000 students.
* English-language learners, are students who are unable to communicate fluently or learn effectively in English, who often come from non-English-speaking homes and backgrounds, and who typically require specialized or modified instruction in both the English language and in their academic courses.
Photo: Getty Images