In upended year, San Diego reports mixed grade results
Fewer high school students are failing, but more F grades are being given out.
SAN DIEGO — Fewer San Diego Unified high school students are failing at least one class this fall compared with last year, but students who are failing are receiving even more F grades.
The decline in students who are failing or at risk of failing is “cause for hope,” Supt. Cindy Marten said during a board meeting last week.
But the rise in failing grades means the district — which is is keeping campuses mostly closed indefinitely until COVID- 19 conditions improve significantly — is one of many in the county that are seeing a surge in failing grades as students struggle because of the pandemic and continued school closures.
Teachers and experts say grades are falling because students are facing many challenges that were caused or exacerbated by the pandemic. Online education is a disadvantage for students who lack a quiet home environment, reliable internet service, a computer and adults who are able to support their at- home learning. Additionally, some students have to work or take care of siblings.
Some teachers can’t even find all of their students.
The circumstances have led several teachers and experts to call on other educators to be more forgiving in their grades. For example, some teachers are choosing not to fail any students this school year.
One district, Sweetwater Union High, added a nocredit grade option for students affected by the pandemic.
In San Diego Unified, the percentage of students who are passing all their classes with a C or better rose from 53% last fall to 60% this fall, Marten said. That means the remaining students who are failing or at risk of failing at least one course dropped from 47% to roughly 40% this fall.
But at the same time, F grades now make up 19% more of total grades given than they did the same time last year, which has the district concerned, Marten said.
“Even as more students are experiencing academic success in high school, we must do more to support those who are failing,” she said.
There do not appear to be significant differences in grades when comparing student groups, Marten said. She gave one example: The percentage of African American high school students who are failing or at risk of failing decreased from 63% last fall to 55% this fall. Marten said the percentage of low- income students who are failing or at risk of failing declined more than it did for middle- class students.
Marten did not share percentages for other student groups who have had grade disparities as compared to the overall student body, including Latinos, English learners and those with disabilities.
Other key information is still missing. For example, the district has not yet finalized middle school grade data.
In October, the school board voted to remove nonacademic criteria, such as punctuality and class participation, from academic grades in an effort to be more equitable.
The new grading policy also means students will get more retakes or chances to learn from their errors and improve their grades. The district is implementing those changes over this school year and the next.
Marten said she does not think the rise in failing grades is happening because of technology access.
The district has distributed more than 80,000 Chromebooks to students since the pandemic began, she said. She added that so far this school year, the district’s technology and internet help lines received more than 22,000 calls, and that 94% of those were resolved on the spot.
However, teachers still say many of their students lack the bandwidth needed to participate in Zoom class. Some students are sharing computers with several people, and some still lack internet access.
To help students who are failing, Marten said the district wants to roll out the new grading policy more quickly.
She also said the district wants schools to give out more alternative grades, such as “in progress” or “incomplete,” allowing students more time to master the content.
Counselors are working with students to reevaluate their course loads and class schedules, Marten said. The district is expanding credit recovery options for high schoolers, including afterschool programs. And the district hopes to continue expanding in- person support sessions for struggling students after the winter break, Marten said.
San Diego Unified is closed for regular in- person instruction but has been inviting a select few struggling students to campus for short in- person sessions under its Phase One of reopening.
County data show that only about 2,000 students, or roughly 2% of the district’s student body, have been participating in Phase One, partly because not many teachers have volunteered to hold sessions. Students’ families may also be choosing to not send their children to Phase One as COVID- 19 case rates continue to rise.