The San Diego Unified School District said it is defying the trends when it comes to grades during distance learning.
While other school districts in San Diego County have reported huge increases in the number of D and F grades, SDUSD said its data shows the opposite.
“We have not seen that in our district, we've seen the percentage of students receiving D and F going down this year compared to last year,” said board Vice President Richard Barrera.
The data compares grades during online learning from the beginning of this school year through Thanksgiving to grades during the same period last year when students were in school, face-to-face with their teachers. The number of students earning A, B and C grades while doing distance learning is up 6%, according to the district. There were fewer D and F grades during online learning, too.
“There was no late work so you could turn in any assignment at any time and I know that was a big thing for a lot of my friends,” said Nicolas Gardinera who is a senior in high school in the district. He and his brother Noah are not thrilled about online learning. They say they've received good grades, but did not really learn anything.
Barrera said the reaction from students to online learning runs the gamut from those who find it easy to those who say it is the most difficult thing they’ve ever done. “The challenges for all students are real,” Barrera said.
Besides the positive news, Barrera said there is concern for those students who failed all grades, “the functional equivalent of giving up," he said. “There is no question many of our students are going to need our support coming out of this, even as we get back into the classroom.”
