No Failing Grades For NYC Students Amid Coronavirus

NEW YORK CITY — No students in New York City public schools will get an “F” this year amid coronavirus hardships.

That’s because newly-released grading guidelines for the 2020-21 school year take failing grades off the books. Instead, students will receive marks of “needs improvement” or “course in progress” in their place, according to a Department of Education release.

The grading policy is a response to the “flexibility” families need during the pandemic, said DOE spokesperson Danielle Filson.

“Schools will select a grading scale that meets the needs of their community with a high expectation and the necessary flexibility to best support New York City students,” Filson said in a statement.

Schools similarly adjusted grading guidelines as they closed for in-person classes in March and shifted toward remote learning. The massive disruption in the educational system meant many students simply couldn’t keep up.

Officials released the grading policy on Monday — the same day they revealed that in-person attendance stands at roughly 280,000 students, much fewer than expected or hinted at by school officials.

This year’s policy gives schools the option to select grading scales.

“The policy gives elementary and middle schools the opportunity to select their grading scales (ie. 1-4 scale, numerical scale out of 100 points, A-D alphabetical scale), but no students will receive failing grades,” a release states. “Families will also be able to update any passing grade to a standard mark (‘meets standards’ for elementary school, ‘pass’ for middle school, and ‘credit’ for high school) to show that they have met standards, if they prefer to have their child’s performance reflected on a less granular scale as they adapt to blended and remote learning.

Families also will be able to update any passing grade to a standard mark — “meets standards” for elementary school, “pass” for middle school, and “credit” for high school — to show they met standards on a less specific scale as they adjusted to blended and remote learning, a release states.

The grading policy, as stated in a release, is:

• Grades 3-K and Pre-K: There is no impact as these students do not receive report cards or grades.
• Grades K-5: Schools choose their grading scales. Students will receive grades of “needs improvement” (N) in place of failing grades. Parents/guardians may choose to have passing grades updated to “meets standards” (MT).
• Grades 6-8: Schools choose their grading scales. Students will receive grades of “course in progress” (NX) in place of failing grades. Parents/guardians may choose to have passing grades updated to “pass” (P). Grades of “P” will not be factored into students’ GPAs. Students are still expected to meet learning outcomes for their courses, and teachers will provide support for their students.
• Grades 9-12: Schools choose their grading scales. Students will receive grades of “course in progress” (NX) in place of failing grades. Parents/guardians may choose to have passing grades updated to “credit” (CR). Grades of “CR” will not be factored into students’ GPAs. Students are still expected to meet learning outcomes for their courses, and teachers will provide support for their students. If students do not meet the learning outcomes by the relevant deadlines for completing courses in progress, they will receive a failing final grade.