San Francisco school district reverses 'equity' grading policy after backlash, claims 'misinformation' surrounding proposal

San Francisco has reversed what was going to be its "grading for equity" policy after there was severe backlash against the proposal. The grading policy would have made a score of 80 percent or higher an A, and students would be able to obtain a D with a score as low as 21 percent. Superintendent Maria Su claimed that there was "misinformation" surrounding the proposal as the school district reversed itself. 

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) will not be moving forward with the plan. The "Grading for Equity" policy was brought out by district Superintendent Maria Su, who said that the goal of the policy was to offer "professional development opportunity in standards-based grading," according to Fox News.

The grading policy, however, was not just limited to giving As to students who would normally be getting a B- at 80 percent. Final exams could also be taken multiple times and would be the only thing that would impact pupils' grades. Homework, tardiness, and other weekly assignments would have no bearing on what grades were awarded.

An A grade would be anything above 80 percent, and a 41 percent would land a student with a passing grade of a C. The letter grade system was going to be tested out by 70 teachers in the school district, but it was only stopped after the mayor, as well as lawmakers, spoke out against the proposal.

Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote on X, "We owe our young people an education that prepares them to succeed. The proposed changes to grading at SFUSD would not accomplish that. I have conveyed our view to SFUSD. We are optimistic that there is a better path forward for our kids and their future."

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) also called out the drastic lowering of standards, writing on X, "San Francisco has come up with a brilliant solution for its failing schools. Students simply won't be failed. Under the new ‘Grading for Equity’ plan, Fs are now Cs; Bs are now As; homework and tests are ungraded; truancy is unpunished; and finals can be re-taken again and again."

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) also took to the social media platform to rail against the proposal. "My immigrant dad asked me where the missing 10% went when I scored a 90. 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," he wrote.

Superintendent SU responded to the backlash earlier this week, saying that there have been no changes to the grading policy and claimed, "We hold every SFUSD student to high standards, and our goal is to support student success by prioritizing learning and mastery," and then went onto allege there was "misinformation" about the proposal.

"It's clear there are a lot of questions, concerns, and misinformation with this proposal," Su said. "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. Right now we need to continue to focus on balancing our budget, stabilizing the district, and rebuilding trust," she added.