Opinion: How ‘equity’ grading approach sets students up to fail

As a local educator, I see the same pattern every year: students with impressive GPAs walk into my classroom confident, capable and ready to work, at least on paper. But when it comes time to read complex texts, write analytically or tackle multi-step assignments, many of these “top students” struggle far more than their grades suggest. This isn’t a student problem. This is a system problem. And it’s unfolding right here in San Diego County.

Across the state, schools have adopted grading practices known as “equitable grading,” which aim to reduce bias and give students second chances. The intent is noble. The implementation, however, has quietly reshaped what grades mean, often in ways parents don’t realize.

In parts of California, including some San Diego County districts, an A now begins at 81%, a B at 61%, and a C at 41%. In other words, a student can miss more than half the questions on an assessment and still earn a B. A student earning 42%, traditionally a failing percentage, can walk away with a C.

Families see letter grades. But students experience the truth. And the truth is showing up in the data.

UC San Diego recently reported that the number of incoming freshmen testing at middle-school math levels has increased nearly 30-fold in the last few years. These are students with strong transcripts and GPAs that implied readiness. But the gap between the grade and the skill has widened dramatically, and tangibly. I see the same story play out in my classroom. One student had a 3.8 GPA and glowing comments from previous teachers. But when we began a research unit, he stayed after class one day, eyes down, and admitted: “I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never had to read something this long.”

He wasn’t unmotivated. He wasn’t unprepared by choice. He was unprepared because he had not been told the truth.

Over the last several years, in an effort to soften stress, protect self-esteem and minimize learning loss fallout, many schools shifted to grading practices that separate academic skills from academic performance. Unlimited retakes, lenient deadlines and inflated scoring bands became the norm. The goal was compassion. But compassion without honesty becomes cruelty.

Students who earn As without mastery don’t discover the missing skills until it’s too late, in college, career training programs, or the workplace, where there are no retakes and no safety nets. Parents often assume their children are excelling because the report card says so. Meanwhile, teachers see what the grades don’t show: gaps that widen silently.

This is not about blaming teachers. Educators are working harder than ever under enormous pressure. But as a system, we’ve confused easing discomfort with promoting learning. We’ve started to treat academic struggle like a threat instead of what it actually is, the pathway to growth. And families deserve transparency.

Parents in San Diego should know when a 4.0 doesn’t reflect readiness. They should understand that “equitable grading” often changes the grading scale itself. They should know that a C may represent far below grade-level performance. Most importantly, they should know what kids need instead of inflated grades: They need aligned, honest grading that reflects actual mastery.They need targeted intervention, not hidden remediation.

They need productive struggle, not the illusion of success. We cannot keep pretending everything is fine simply because the letters on the transcript look good.

San Diego has some of the most resilient, resourceful students I’ve ever taught. They are capable of growth, challenge and excellence. But they deserve a school system, and a grading system that prepares them for the world they are walking into, not the one we wish existed.

A 4.0 should mean mastery, not mystery. And until our grading practices reflect that, we’re not setting students up to succeed. We’re setting them up to be blindsided.

Honesty doesn’t mean harsher policies, it simply means clearer ones.

Our kids are ready for the truth.

We should be, too.

Rodriguez is a high school English teacher in San Diego County.