L.A.U.S.D says no student will receive a failing grade on their upcoming spring report card.
The Los Angeles Times reports the district made the "no failing grade" announcement today (Monday 04/13) in addition to the news that L.A.U.S.D campuses will remain closed through the remainder of the academic year, as well as the summer session.
According to the video briefing below (credit: L.A. Times), L.A. Schools Superintendent Austin Beutner says, “There is still no clear picture in testing, treatments or vaccines and we will not reopen school facilities until state authorities tell us it is safe and appropriate to do so. The remainder of the school year ... will be completed in the current, remote fashion and we will have a summer session in a similar manner.”
Stating that nearly 80% of L.A.U.S.D students come from low-income families, the district acknowledges that these students are limited in their learning abilities due to the stay-at-home orders. With such a high number of students being affected, the district posted the "no-fail policy" in a morning bulletin. The Los Angeles Times later confirmed with the district's Chief Academic Officer, Alison Yoshimoto-Towery
The L.A.Times report continues with stating that California, nor the county have issued a universal mandate on grading, but adds that the California Department of Education has guidelines for schools. The state's department of education says schools should "enable students to complete state graduation requirements with needed flexibilities” associated with online learning and that schools “should weigh their policies with the lens of equity and with the primary goal of doing no harm to students.”
Even before this new "no-fail policy" was announced today, the district already had clarified last week that no students would receive a worse grade than what they were earning as of March 13, the final day of campus-based instruction.
The district's efforts to ensure all students are successfully learning from home has extended with a partnership with Amazon, who is providing headphones for students to focus at home. Austin Beutner says “Many of the examples we see of successful video learning have a significant selection bias. Affluent families with resources at home, schools with years of training and limitless budgets and students with demonstrated aptitude to learn independently. Public schools have in their DNA the commitment to serve all students, irrespective of circumstance, and it will not be so simple.”
See L.A.U.S.D's video briefing and update below:
PHOTOS: Getty Images