Following a directive from the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Edmonds School District announced Thursday that no failing grades will be given to students completing the 2019-20 school year from home.

In a letter signed by Superintendent Dr. Kris McDuffy, district staff said the Continuous Learning 2020 Task Force has developed a plan for grading students who had to complete their education from home after schools were closed in March.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said the state will be following a do-no-harm policy that will offer “absolutely no failing grades” to students. In his weekly address posted to Youtube, Reykdal also said school districts will allow students opportunities to make up credit. Students will be able to attend summer school, repeat the class next year, or take online courses.

“We’ve tried to make sure there will be absolutely no failing grades in this process,” he said. “Any student who doesn’t feel like they achieved what they wanted to will have an opportunity to re-engage and learn.”

We have included the full message from McDuffy below

Dear Edmonds School District families,

We hope this update finds you and your family healthy and that your student is settling into a routine for engaging in continuous learning. We truly understand how difficult this transition has been, and we appreciate your patience as we have had to figure out a whole new way of learning and teaching. Grading and evaluating student work during the closure has been a critical piece of this work and our Continuous Learning 2020 Task Force (made up of many talented and experienced educators) has a plan and we want to share that with you today.

Grading Guidance From the State

As you may be aware, all districts in Washington received guidance from the state on the topic of grading that has as its foundation a “do no harm” philosophy for grading student work during the closure. Rather than maintain the traditional grading method, an alternative grading system (explained more in this video) has been established to accommodate for the learning challenges our students face during the pandemic. 

Students’ grades and ability to progress to the next grade level will not be negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 closure. Teachers will provide students with feedback about their learning, and they will receive credit for work they complete.

Flexibility for families

Our goal has been to provide flexibility for families as they navigate this incredibly challenging time. Remaining engaged in learning through our school closure is important. Teachers will continue to challenge students to demonstrate learning and effort. We encourage students and families to continue to engage to the extent they are able.

Elementary (K-6 Grades)

Elementary teachers will not assign grades for the second semester, but all students will progress to the next grade unless the family and teacher have decided otherwise. Teachers will provide students with ongoing feedback for work they complete during the remaining weeks of the school year. At the end of the school year, teachers will note students’ progress in the comments section of the report card. All report cards will have a statewide COVID-19 designator to indicate the unique circumstances that may have affected a student’s progress.

Middle (7-8 Grades)

Except for those classes where high school credit is earned, middle school teachers will not assign grades for the second semester (for high school credit-bearing courses, see information below). Teachers will provide students with ongoing feedback for work they complete during the remaining weeks of the school year. 

At the end of the school year, teachers will note students’ progress on the report card in the comments section for each class. All report cards will be given a statewide COVID-19 designator to indicate the unique circumstances that may have affected a student’s progress.

Teachers will report student engagement in Skyward. If a student turns in the work and it is at standard, teachers will award it the full number of points. If a student turns in the work but it is not at standard, teachers will award it half the number of points. If a student does not turn in the work, teachers will mark it with an asterisk. The purpose of an asterisk is to avoid awarding a zero and the negative connotation associated with it. This creates a system where any new work will improve a student’s grade, but missing work will not harm it.

High School (9-12)

Students in high school and those middle school students who are taking high school credit-bearing courses will be graded using an A-B-C-D-Incomplete grading scale.

• Students will be able to improve their grades using their third quarter progress report grade as the baseline. 
• Students’ grades will not go down from the grade they received on the third quarter progress report.
• No student will receive a P grade, an NC grade or an F grade. 
• Any student can improve their grade (A-B-C-D) by engaging in the work provided by teachers.
• In those instances where a student earned an F grade for third quarter and was unable to engage in the academic work provided by teachers during fourth quarter, an Incomplete will be awarded. Students with an Incomplete will be provided multiple opportunities to complete the remaining work needed to earn a letter grade and credit for the course(s).
• Opportunities for students to make up an Incomplete will be developed in the coming weeks. Teachers and counselors will connect with families to develop a plan, which may include one or more of the following:
• Grades earned and posted to a student’s transcript during the closure will be given a statewide COVID-19 designator to indicate the unique circumstances that may have affected a student’s grade.

Teachers will report student engagement in Skyward. If a student turns in the work and it is at standard, teachers will award it the full number of points. If a student turns in the work but it is not at standard,teachers will award it half the number of points. If a student does not turn in the work, teachers will mark it with an asterisk. The purpose of an asterisk is to avoid awarding a zero and the negative connotation associated with it. This creates a system where any new work will improve a student’s grade, but missing work will not harm it.

Students Receiving Special Education Services

Grading will be determined based on a student’s IEP. If a student was graded Pass / Fail before the closure they can receive a “pass” or “satisfactory.”

College in High School

“College in the High School” may still be assessed according to the expectation of each respective college. High school students taking a “College in the High School” course will receive specific information from their teachers.