Dear SCUSD families, 

We are pleased to announce that there has been a change in the districts grading policy for students in grades 7-12. The “F” grading scale has been changed from 0-59% to 50-59%. This revision is more equitable for students, as under the previous grading scale, just a few missed assignments could permanently trap a student at either an “F” or a “D” for the entire course. Several advocacy groups including the Black Parallel School Board have requested this modification, and research on grading practices supports this change.

We made this change, because the previous grading policy was arbitrary, in that each letter grade had a span of 10% (e.g. a C is 70%-79%), except for an F which previously spanned from 0-60%. By revising the policy, we are equalizing the span of all grades to 10% for each letter grade, including an F. This will enable students to recover their grade if the student demonstrates a sustained level of improved performance, and is more likely to result in positive student engagement. 

The lowest a student can receive on any assignment is 50%, so for an assignment worth 60 points say, the lowest a student could receive is 30 points. This is true for any type of assignment, anything that goes in the gradebook, from homework, to quizzes, tests, group projects, essays etc.

The percentages for each grade are now as follows:

•          An “A” is from 90% – 100%
•          A “B” is from 80% – 89%
•          A “C” is from 70% – 79%
•          A “D” is from 60% – 69%
•          An “F” is from 50% – 59%

Thank you so much, please contact us if you have any questions.