Baldwin Park Unified Board Of Education Adopts Grading Resolution

Press release from the Baldwin Park Unified School District:

April 30, 2020

Dear Baldwin Park Unified Students and Parents/Guardians,

On behalf of the Board of Education and the entire staff of BPUSD, I want to express our continued wishes for good health and well-being to all of our students and families. The COVID-19 pandemic and school closures have caused significant disruption to the structure of teaching and learning.

Acting in the best interest of our students, BPUSD will be implementing changes in grading practices, to ensure equity and avoid negative impact on final grades for the 2019-2020 school year. Based on guidance from State agencies, the District has adopted a resolution regarding final grades.

• Grades will be based on the progress reports from Trimester 2 (elementary) or Grading Period 5 (secondary), in order to support the preservation of progress made prior to school closures.
• Instruction and assignments during distance learning will not harm and can only enhance the grades indicated on the Trimester 2 or Grading Period 5 report cards.

Elementary Schools

The assignments during distance learning have been designed to help students retain important grade-level skills. Students will receive feedback and support to enhance their learning.

• Official grades will not be issued for Trimester 3. Final report cards will have a symbol in each grade box indicating that grades were not assigned due to COVID-19.
• Teachers will still record comments regarding student participation, growth, and/or effort.

Secondary Schools

Students are expected to engage in assignments during distance learning to continue attaining the content standards and skills that will prepare them for the next grade level.. Teachers will review student work and provide feedback so that students can progress in their knowledge and abilities.

• Semester 2 report card grades will be no lower than the March 13th progress report and will potentially be higher based on student participation and performance during distance learning.
• For Middle/Junior High Schools, calculated grades will be recorded as A, B, P (“Pass” in place of C or D), or NP (“No Pass” in place of F).
• For High Schools, calculated grades will be recorded as A, B, CR (“Credit” in place of C or D), or NCR (“No Credit” in place of F).
• High school students will have the option to request that a grade be recorded in the opposite format, such as “CR” instead of “B” or “C” instead of “CR”, by submitting a petition form. Information about the petition process will be provided by the schools at a later date.

Please note that these grading practices were designed to avoid harm to students during this unprecedented situation, while also providing continuity of learning. If you have specific questions related to any of these temporary grading practices, please contact your school administrators.

Sincerely,
Froilan N. Mendoza, Ed.D.
Superintendent

This press release was produced by the Baldwin Park Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.