Education Equity in Crisis: How to Address Learning, Promotions, Transitions and Grades in Light of School and College Closures

• Direct school districts to make distance learning plans publicly available via an easily accessible, user-friendly, multi-lingual platform.  
• Adopt emergency regulations that describe how schools should measure student learning during this crisis and how this information should be used to allocate district- and school-level resources and tailor supports to help students catch up on missed material.  
• Enact emergency regulations to provide more flexibility for students in the Class of 2020 to meet high school graduation requirements and be a-g eligible with necessary ongoing support.  
• Hold schools accountable for providing specific outreach, resources, and support to students with disabilities and English learners in students’ home language.  
• Require that state federal coronavirus response funds be used by school districts to achieve these purposes and that higher education invest coronavirus response funds in improving support for incoming students, addressing academic needs without traditional remediation, expanding access to evidence-based student success programs, and providing wraparound services—including access to food and child care—to support students.

As of May 27, 2020, updated recommendation: Direct CDE to require guidance for all LEAs to implement a uniform “Pass/No Pass” grading policy for all COVID-19 impacted terms with the understanding that students who were otherwise on track before the pandemic will receive a passing grade.

• Create systems that grant all students the opportunity to access grade level content in ways that ensure the most marginalized students have access; do not solely rely on online learning. This should incorporate clear direction, criteria, and resources for students to meet course requirements and demonstrate readiness, including through written work packets and project-based learning. 
• Institute flexible, student-centered grading criteria such as Pass/No Pass grading policies. Generate a note on all students’ transcripts that explains a Pass/No Pass grade is a result of COVID-19 related school building closures. 
• Extend access to already a-g approved online learning opportunities to every high school student in the district/school. 
• For the Class of 2020, pass a resolution to recognize California’s high school graduation requirements in lieu of individual district/school graduation requirements for COVID-19 impacted semesters. This includes students in the Class of 2021, 22, and 23 if they are unable to complete the semesters’ credit requirements as a result of school closures.     
• Allocate resources—staff, time, and materials—for extended learning time during the summer (if possible due to the pandemic) and for the 2020-21 school year based on student need, ensuring that the most vulnerable students are prioritized for instructional and socio-emotional support and opportunities to catch up and advance academically.

As of March 11, 2021, additional recommendations include:

• Provide students a letter grade and a Pass or No Pass grade, with the option to select their choice within a specified time frame.
• Offer incompletes to students who request them along with additional time to complete coursework for a letter grade or Pass.
• Weigh a “Pass” as a 2.0 for GPA calculation purposes.
• Conduct an analysis of final grades to assess the disproportionate impact of grading policies implemented during COVID-19.
  • If a disproportionate impact is identified, retroactively adjust grading policies to correct for disproportionate impact and shift grading policies in the subsequent terms.
• Provide families and students with timely and multilingual communication about their grading options.

• Institute flexible grading policies that allow currently enrolled students to determine their preferred grade notation (i.e., letter grade or pass/not pass), at the end of the term. The flexibility should be extended across all colleges and universities in the state. Implement a notation on all students’ transcripts that explain course grades were impacted by coronavirus.  
• Private colleges and universities should follow the California State University and the University of California’s decision to temporarily accept transfer units taken as “pass/no pass”  for undergraduate admission. 
• Exempt the number of pass/no pass units taken during COVID-19 impacted terms from the total number of “pass/no pass” units students can take during their undergraduate career to be eligible for graduation. This should extend to graduating seniors (i.e., Class of 2020) and the Classes of 2021, 2022, and 2023. 
• Remove the restriction to fulfill major specific courses for a letter grade. Students should have the flexibility to take courses that complete their major course requirements and not have to retake coursework for which they received a “pass” to complete. 
• Probation and academic dismissal procedures associated with a student receiving no pass in a course should be suspended for current college students who attempt to persist in the course. Similar approaches should be taken for circumstances in which students elect to withdraw from a course during the current academic year. The California Community College system has already issued such guidance; the University of California, California State University, and private colleges and universities in the state should do the same.

As of March 11, 2021, additional recommendations include:

• Clearly communicate system and campus-wide grading policies to both students and faculty.
• Encourage faculty to implement the best practices in grading and instruction offered by their campus resource hubs.
• Implement grading policies that demonstrate the best outcomes for underrepresented student groups.
• Conduct an analysis of final grades to assess the impact of grading policies implemented during COVID-19. The University of California system has conducted such analyses; the California Community Colleges, California State University, and private colleges and universities in the state should do the same.
  • If a disproportionate impact is identified, retroactively adjust grading policies to correct, and shift grading policies in the subsequent terms. The California State University has done so for course withdrawals. The California Community Colleges, University of California system, and private colleges and universities in the state should do similarly.