Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,

I hope you are enjoying these last few weeks of summer before Urban begins. We wanted to let you know about some changes to our assessment and grading policy for the 2020-21 school year.

While Urban quickly shifted to a non-traditional approach to grading last spring as a short-term response to the pandemic, it is now clear that we will be learning and teaching with Covid-19 for some time. Therefore, we need systems that will allow us to respond to both student needs in the moment and the reality of external forces beyond their control. As we move into the 2020-21 school year, we have considered the following factors in thinking about our grading system:

The alternate grading scale of last spring worked well for some subjects and students, and poorly for others.
As a California school, we need to pay attention to the demands of the CSU and UC system. Creating a system with a significantly modified grading scale would hinder many of our students in being viable candidates for a full slate of college options.
Many colleges have indicated that they are going test optional or not considering SAT/ACT results at all. Grades will play a more substantial role in admissions during these times of Covid-19. Ironically, this shift away from standardized tests in college admissions is one progressive educators have advocated for decades; it took a pandemic to actualize this change.
SFUSD and Bay Area independent schools—indeed, almost all independent schools nationally—are maintaining conventional grade scales. Our students need to present transcripts to colleges that best support their candidacy alongside their peers.
Many of our students and families value the traditional grading scale as a valid component of understanding their standing, mastery and progress.

As a result of the above factors, we will maintain a conventional A-F scale (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F) for this coming school year, though with some substantial differences in assessment and accommodations.

We will record grades differently for 9th graders in their fall term. All 9th graders will receive a grade in their course report (along with a narrative and rubric), but their transcript will show a pass/fail (P/F) grade for the fall term. They will thus be able to see what grade they would have received this fall, even though their permanent transcript will record a P/F grade. This system will aid students in adapting to and calibrating Urban academic expectations. Ninth graders will receive regular A-F grades on their transcripts starting in winter term and for all subsequent terms.  

Students who are struggling academically as a result of extraordinary Covid-19 stressors (for example, if they or a family member tests positive for Covid-19, if a family member loses a job, etc.) will receive additional targeted support by Grade Deans. Grade Deans will also meet with students and families when appropriate, in order to create individualized support plans in response to these virus-related issues.

We are continuing with modified interim and course report rubrics. Reports may contain fewer rubric standards than typical reports contain, and those rubric standards may also be different than those from previous years.

Urban will continue with reduced homework frequency: two homeworks assigned per week, each within the amount of time specified in Urban's homework guidelines (see the Student/Family Handbook, page 18). This reduced homework guidance will help students with the increased stress that they face and reduce the amount of time they need to spend online.

In sum, we are returning to our usual grading scale but not completely to business as usual. Teachers will continue to modify their teaching strategies, curricula and assessment practices. Grade Deans, advisors and teachers will be particularly attentive to the needs of individual students, and we'll do our best to provide necessary support to students.

Please reach out to me or to your Grade Dean with any questions.

Best regards,

Geoff

Geoff Ruth
Assistant Head for Instruction