The San Francisco Unified School District is delaying its “grading for equity” initiative, the superintendent said Wednesday, after the proposal sparked a furious backlash and accusations that public schools are lowering the bar for students.
The core components of the proposed grading approach include allowing students to retake tests; excluding factors like lateness, effort, and participation from final grades; omitting classwork and homework from grading; and basing 100% of the grade on “summative” testing, according to an SFUSD staff report.
The initiative was aiming to make grading practices more accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational. The district has budgeted $172,000 for a consulting group to develop this plan, pending Board of Education approval.
The policy was first reported Tuesday by Voice of San Francisco, prompting an immediate wave of online criticism — including from Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and many parents, who argued that the district is deprioritizing academic rigor.
“My immigrant dad asked me where the missing 10% went when I scored a 90,” Khanna tweeted. He said giving A’s to more students “is not equity—it betrays the American Dream and every parent who wants more for their kids.”
We owe our young people an education that prepares them to succeed. The proposed changes to grading at SFUSD would not accomplish that.
— Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) May 28, 2025
I have conveyed our view to SFUSD. We are optimistic that there is a better path forward for our kids and their future.
On the SFUSD Families Forum Facebook group, the news sparked dozens of critical comments, with many calling the proposal “ridiculous,” “embarrassing,” and an example of lowering academic standards.
District staff clarified at the Tuesday night school board meeting that the proposed shift is meant to emphasize mastery of content through assessments rather than assignment completion.
In a preliminary response, the district said the grading practices would not be mandatory for schools. Teachers have — and will continue to have — autonomy over their grading, in accordance with agreements with labor partners. The initiative’s goal is to ensure that students are assessed based on their understanding of the material, according to the district, which cited research supporting the effectiveness of this approach.
In a follow-up statement, Superintendent Maria Su said she would pause the initiative due to concerns and misinformation.
“I have decided not to pursue this strategy for next year to ensure we have time to meaningfully engage the community,” Su said. “Right now we need to continue to focus on balancing our budget, stabilizing the district, and rebuilding trust.”
The district acknowledged that the rollout will require not only teacher training but systemwide education and a multiyear commitment. United Educators of San Francisco, the teachers union, expressed concerns that it was not consulted prior to the public announcement.
School board President Phil Kim expressed appreciation for Su’s responsiveness to community feedback and emphasized that it is the board’s responsibility to hold the superintendent accountable for engaging in meaningful consultation with SFUSD communities.
A principal’s defense
At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, Commissioner Supriya Ray said that while the initiative may be well-intentioned, it risks sending the message to students that there are few expectations in school and life. The plan has its defenders, however.
Anastasia Klafter, principal of Independence High School, supports the initiative, noting that several teachers at her school have adopted its practices.
“When grading doesn’t reflect a student’s true understanding, it undermines deep learning and mastery of content, which should be the ultimate goal of education,” she said.
Klafter emphasized that teachers retain discretion over how they grade, saying that grading can vary widely even within a school.
She also pointed out that many elite private schools allow students to retake tests — a practice rooted in the belief that learning is not always linear, and a single poor test score shouldn’t bring down a semester’s total grade.
For the 2025–26 school year, SFUSD planned to include 14 high schools and 65 to 70 teachers in a pilot program. Each teacher sees 100 to 150 students daily, meaning the initiative could affect more than 10,000 students in its first year.