Grading perpetuates “systemic racism and inequities.”

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** Minnesota School Eliminates “F’s” for Racial Justice
Grading perpetuates “systemic racism and inequities.”

By Sara Dogan

In the interest of promoting “equity” and fighting “systemic racism,” a Minnesota middle school has announced that it has eliminated failing grades.

Sunrise Park Middle School, located in the White Bear Lake Area School District, will no longer allow teachers to assign students a grade of “F.” While previously, students would receive an “F” for unsatisfactory or absent work, they will now be given an “I” for “incomplete.” Even if the assignment is never turned in, teachers must assign it a grade of at least 50 percent so as not to bring down the student’s average.

Teachers are also forbidden from deducting points for late work and are told to encourage students to retake tests or quizzes on which they have performed poorly.
“So our whole intent is to ensure that grades focus on the process of learning,” states Sunrise Park Principal Christina Pierre in a
YouTube video ([link removed]) explaining the new grading system.

“Grades show what the student knows in relation to the learning targets,” adds Associate Principal Norman Bell.

“Therefore,” chimes in Pierre, “Grades will not include behaviors, attitude, tardiness to class, whether the assignment was turned in late or on time.”

While the YouTube video on grading changes does not directly mention racial equity, other district communications reveal that it was a key impetus for the shift.

A glowing
announcement ([link removed]) from the White Bear Lake Area school district lauds Superintendent Wayne Kazmierczak for his selection as 2021 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year, specifically noting that he “led the development of an equity commitment statement and adopted a four-way equity decision making protocol to guide the district’s work.” When this “equity audit” revealed “grading disparities among among students of color,” Kazmierczak changed the system to address these disparities.

“Grading can be one of the largest areas in which systemic racism and inequities are perpetuated,” the announcement explains. “Dr. Kazmierczak and WBLAS believe grades should be a measure of what a student knows and has mastered in a given course. Grading should not be a behavior punishment and should not be a measure of how well a student can survive stress at home. Under Dr. Kazmierczak’s leadership and in line with the district’s strategic plan and commitment to eliminating systemic racism, the district began tackling grading disparities a year ago when they dramatically changed their grading practices.”

Critics of the policy change note that one of the most important purposes of school is to prepare students for later life. Future employers are unlikely to be so understanding when their employees show up late and neglect to turn in work. By showing leniency for late or poorly-done assignments, Sunrise Park Middle School may be setting up their students for professional failure.

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To learn more about the Freedom Center's campaign to halt indoctrination in K-12 schools, please visit our website, www.stopk12indoctrination.org ([link removed]) . To read the K-12 Code of Ethics CLICK ([link removed]) HERE ([link removed]) . To order the Freedom Center’s pamphlet, “Leftist Indoctrination in Our K-12 Public Schools,” CLICK HERE ([link removed]) . To donate to our campaign to stop K-12 Indoctrination CLICK HERE ([link removed]) .

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