Graduation relaxation
Lodi Unified reduces credit requirements for the Class of 2021
For the second year in a row, Lodi Unified School District’s graduating seniors will have requirements reduced due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The district’s board of education on Tuesday night unanimously approved decreasing graduation requirements from 230 credits to 210 for the Class of 2021, as well as reduced the fouryear English requirement to three years.
“It's reactive in responding to the (grades) data we had from the first semester, but we’re trying to be proactive in what may happen at the end of the year,” said Jeff Palmquist, the district’s assistant superintendent of secondary education.
Palmquist was responding to board member Courtney Porter, who asked if the district was requesting the reduction in requirements as a reaction to students struggling with online learning.
He added reducing credit requirements to 210 was based on the district’s finding that there are a number of seniors with 188 to 199 credits two months from graduation.
“We also looked at ... students that are exactly on track,” Palmquist said. “And 11% of our students are right on that cusp. Yes they are on track, but they can afford no mistakes. I think for those students and what might happen, this would be proactive, but based on the data that came in on the first semester.”
The board approved the same graduation reduction requirements in 2020, just weeks into the pandemic. The district’s graduation rate was 87.9% last year. While that was down from the 89.9% graduation rate in 2019, it was higher than the 85.7% rate in 2018.
Porter said he would vote in support of the requirement reduction, but questioned if the district had provided any intervention systems to keep students’ grades up and reduce anxiety being experienced by students, parents and teachers.
“I know there have been several interventions,” Palmquist replied. “We added the tutoring.com, I know that sites are still keeping up with their tutoring and I know teachers have done an amazing job with office hours. And our coaching team has provided professional development and a lot of instructional support. We’ve expanded our program to credit recovery as well.”
Porter further noted that school districts across the state spent last summer working with teachers and unions to change grading policies so students would not have to worry about losing credits, and asked if Lodi Unified had taken a similar ap
“It seems we were not proactive in working with these kids who were on the cusp, in the middle of a pandemic, not working with teachers, not working with counselors, and we've created a great deal of anxiety for these students and not telling them until April what their situation would be for graduation.” LUSD TRUSTEE COURTNEY PORTER