by Sasha Ryu

Sports Editor

On Fri., Apr. 24, LGSUHSD’s office sent out a district-wide email announcing Superintendent Mike Grove’s decision to use a “blended grading model” to assign final grades for the 2020 Spring semester. Under the blended grading model, each individual student has the option to be graded under a Credit/No Credit (C/NC) model, or finish the year using the traditional A-F letter grade system. This decision came in response to LGHS and SHS switching to online learning for the remainder of the school year, in light of the international coronavirus outbreak and the state-wide shelter-in-place mandate. 

According to the district, if a student chooses to adhere to the Credit/No Credit system, all of their classes must be graded C/NC. In other words, a student cannot request for some of their classes to be graded C/NC while others remain A-F. In addition, if a student opts for C/NC, their grades from the 2020 Spring semester will not be included in their GPA. 

In the email, the district office also attached a message directly from Superintendent Grove, who stated: “This blended grading model was chosen after a great deal of research, particularly with college and university admissions offices, examination of available information, and after receiving the advice of an advisory panel made up of a representative spectrum of students, staff, and parents. We examined seven different possible grading models and, while each model has its own set of potential benefits and drawbacks, we believe that this model provides the best balance of potential benefits vs. potential drawbacks for the greatest number of students.”

Superintendent Grove poses for his portrait on the district website.

So far, there have been mixed reactions to the district’s decision. When asked about his feelings on the blended model, LGHS Junior Zach Fein commented, “I can see how the letter grades would benefit hard-working students. However, the pass/fail thing makes me kind of think the system will be a little bit open to abuse.”

While several students have voiced similar criticisms surrounding the plan, others, like freshman Kamron Emami, look forward to the use of the system. In an interview, Emami stated, “I’d say they definitely made the right decision by giving us the opportunity to either go for the pass or fail or letter grade system. My teacher had told me the committee was having problems reaching an agreement so this is a great middle ground for the students.”

Junior Robert Stanley also expressed his support for the blended model, writing, “I think the new grading system seems like the best of the imperfect solutions because it attempts to accommodate so many student situations.”

The district has yet to establish a date by which students are expected to submit their decisions; however, Superintendent Grove’s office promised to announce the deadline within the upcoming week.