California Schools Drop ‘D’ and ‘F’ Grades in a Shift to ‘Competency-Based’ Learning 

Some of the largest school districts in California are dropping “D” and “F” grades, moving towards what they call “competency-based” learning.

Oakland Unified, Sacramento City Unified, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, and other school districts across the state are limiting the use of “D” grades and phasing out “Fs” entirely.

Instead of failing an assignment or exam, students now have the option to retake a test and have additional time to complete an assignment.

Proponents of the move hope it will encourage students to learn and not worry about the fear of a low grade pushing them off the pathway to university.

Nidya Baez, assistant principal at an Oakland Unified high school, said:

Our hope is that students begin to see school as a place of learning, where they can take risks and learn from mistakes, instead of a place of compliance. Right now, we have a system where we give a million points for a million pieces of paper that students turn in, without much attention to what they’re actually learning.

Others also criticized the traditional grading method for its subjectivity and its psychological impact on school-aged children.

“We’re talking about people who are very young, and labeling them at such an early age as ‘less than’ or ‘more than’ can have significant psychological repercussions,” said Patricia Russell, the head of an educational nonprofit that focuses on alternatives to grades. “Some things in life are zero-sum games, but learning should not be.”

Education reform advocates have pushed for a move towards “competency-based” learning for years, but the pandemic accelerated the shift. Educators view the move as a way to help students after nearly two years of virtual learning.

“We need a system that gets beyond the institutional model and provides more meaningful feedback for students,” said Devin Vodicka, former superintendent of Vista Unified and chief executive of a nonprofit that helps districts shift to competency-based learning. “The future is going to require less focus on time and more focus on what we can do and contribute, and the quality of our performance. We need to prepare our students for this.”

However, some teachers oppose the change, arguing it is more harmful than helpful.

“I will work with any student before or after school or even on the weekend to help them learn. However, I will never lie about their knowledge level,” said Debora Rinehart, a teacher at an Oakland school. “Not reporting Ds and Fs is the equivalent of lying about a student’s progress.”