San Francisco’s board of education wanted to let students with failing grades graduate. That is, before fierce opposition made them backtrack.

On Tuesday, the city proposed the “Grading for Equity” method. In an effort to promote “bias-resistant and motivational” grading practices, this program sought to eliminate assignments, attendance, or class participation from the grading structure. Instead, students’ marks would be determined solely by final examinations, of which there would only be one per semester. Students could retake the test as many times as necessary to get a score they’re satisfied with.

The program also lowered what constituted a passing grade. For example, an A currently requires a minimum score of 90%, and a D is set at 61%. Under the revised scale, students can earn an A with a score as low as 80%, which usually translates to a B-. Furthermore, a D can have a score as low as 21%, which would traditionally be an F.

San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Maria Su implemented these changes without board approval—a decision affecting approximately 10,000 students across 14 high schools in California’s Bay Area. The proposal surfaced almost unnoticed, as Voice of San Francisco noted: “It is buried in a three-word phrase on the last page of a PowerPoint........

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