On January 7th, the Pleasanton School Board held a special board meeting to unanimously adopt a temporary grading policy for first semester.

Middle and high school students will now receive a grade of either “No Credit” instead of a F or “Credit” instead of a D. Students with As, Bs, or Cs will keep their letter grades, while those in AP or Honors courses will receive the customary grade weighting.

“[The policy is] an opportunity to provide an additional layer of support for students who are struggling the most under these unprecedented circumstances,” said assistant superintendent Janelle Woodward.

Both the school board members and students agree that the policy will be helpful to those that have been struggling as a result of multiple changes during remote learning. However, some students believe that further action is necessary.

“I believe that PUSD’s temporary grading policy is a step in the right direction, but must be accompanied by larger efforts to support these students… [C]ontinued efforts to provide extra resources for these students during online learning are also necessary,” said Aoife Stapleton (‘21).

However, the work that teachers and administration have put into supporting Amador students the past semester has not gone unnoticed. 

“Teachers are working hard to provide the best instructional support possible and they have been doing a great job in difficult circumstances. Teachers should continue to try to… provide as much direct academic support to students as they can,” said Anjali Ramesh (‘22).

The school board has also been actively working with the California State Universities and the Universities of California to make sure they will recognize a grade of credit/no credit in next year’s application cycle. Within our district, the administration and teachers continue to work hard and brainstorm how to best support students.