Students in the San Marino Unified School District returned this week from what, in the “Safer at Home” era, will have to pass for spring break, and forged on in distance learning for the fourth quarter of the 2019-20 school year.
Students will not be allowed back on campus until further notice and they will not receive final grades for the second semester, which began after the New Year and was scheduled to end on Friday, May 29.
SMUSD shut down its campuses effective Monday, March 16 and began what is known as “distance learning” on Monday, March 23.
Students in SMUSD have not been technically graded for their work online thus far, according to Executive Director of Curriculum & Instruction Jason Kurtenbach, but virtual attendance is taken. The district is in the process of implementing an online-grading system as it observes how policies continue to evolve elsewhere, he noted.
“Our teachers are taking attendance through marking students present when they log into a synchronous learning session or by documenting that students have engaged in the assignments that have been shared by teachers with their classes,” said Kurtenbach. “Additionally, students are provided links for self-reporting forms at each school, which they are encouraged to fill out daily when they engage in either or both synchronous and asynchronous learning throughout their day. As this distance learning has become a marathon and not a sprint, there may be iterations to our attendance-taking practices in the days and weeks to come.
“Policies concerning grading students during distance learning continue to evolve across the state and nation,” he continued. “Currently, teachers are evaluating assignments that are submitted by students and students are held harmless in regard to those assignments. We are in the process of determining a grading policy in alignment with guidance provided by the California Department of Education. As with all of the facets of distance learning, we are remaining dynamic in our approach to pivoting when and where we need to, as we ensure the best ways possible to support student learning in this virtual environment.”
Meanwhile, differing school grading policies have been announced at neighboring school districts. La Cañada Unified School District recently said that teachers will issue grades for distance learning assignments, assessments or other activities that are identified to students as “required.”
“This will be our practice until the end of school facility closures,” said LCUSD Superintendent Wendy Sinnette in a statement. “All assignments, activities, projects, and assessments that a teacher deems as required and graded shall only enhance a student’s grade and shall not be punitive.”
She further stated that “decisions regarding final grades and report card formats are yet to be determined.”
Sinnette also affirmed that individual teachers will determine the content and pace of instruction “just as it is when learning takes place in the classroom.”
At South Pasadena High School, fourth-quarter grades will be determined based on adjusted grading aligned to the distance learning program. No student started the fourth quarter with a grade lower than a 55%, and students will have until Friday, May 29, to choose either a letter grade or a credit/no credit format for their final semester grade.
To determine final semester grades, third-quarter grades will be weighted at 60% and fourth-quarter grades will be weighted at 40%. Final second-semester grades will be the same or higher than the third quarter. Additionally, credit/no credit grades will not be calculated into the students’ GPA. The district has also waived its requirement that seniors perform 45 hours of community service to graduate.
SMUSD Crafting Grade Policy as Students Return
