This California school district backtracks on ‘equity' grading policy
For a brief few hours, Rep. Ro Khanna, known for his willingness to critique both parties, had a problem brewing in a northern California county he represents on Wednesday afternoon.
Khanna, D-Calif., spoke out against a proposed grading system that was meant to make the schooling experience more bearable.
In a social media post Wednesday, he slammed the San Francisco Unified School District for removing honors courses in biology and English and establishing an 'equity' grading plan.
This Northern California school district was going to vote on a 24-page agenda, first reported by The Voice of San Francisco. It would cost $172,000 to train and guide students on this new system, meant to be tested across 14 district schools.
The equity grading plan would remove homework or weekly tests and allow students to score a high letter grade despite lower marks. For example, if a student previously needed a 90 score for an A, they would have instead only needed an 80.
'My immigrant dad asked me where the missing 10% went when I scored a 90,' Khanna said in a social media post. He represents the East Bay area, next door to San Francisco.
'He came to America for the chance to work hard & pursue excellence. Giving A's for 80% & no homework is not equity — it betrays the American Dream and every parent who wants more for their kids."
Khanna is aligned with conservatives like Turning Point USA's Kirk on this issue.
'San Francisco public schools will allow students to score as low as 41% on a test and still get a C — and they can take the test as many times as they want!' Kirk wrote in a post on Wednesday.
'This is what the push for 'equity' is always about.'
Hours after Khanna published his post, the school district said they were delaying implementation of this initiative. Khanna said he was 'glad' to see the district backtrack.
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Maria Su announced the news Wednesday evening in a statement.
'It's clear there are a lot of questions, concerns, and misinformation with this proposal,' she said in a statement.
'We want to make sure any changes benefit our students. I have decided not to pursue this strategy for next year to ensure we have time to meaningfully engage the community.'
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