There are a number of topics under consideration by this large district (faced by most diverse districts), frequently conflated (disproportionality, student vs teacher vs parent responsibility, school-to-work/college preparation, high standards for all, etc.). I won't comment on all of them at once, as that real-world discussion is complex and multi-faceted.

But I will note that, some time ago, we tried the experiment of year-long grades (not averaging term grades), no penalties for late work (unlimited extended time for all students), and additionally not penalizing for homework. That experiment was widely panned by nearly all stakeholders (school, home, students), as one unintended consequence was that students simultaneously felt no incentive to keep up on work (holding unrealistic expectations for being able to do it all "later"), and also felt overwhelmed by the volume of work to be made up when they did try to dig out of a hole. The students who were most likely to be able to take advantage of these polices were those who had the familial resources to be tutored through months worth of back work, and who did not have to prioritize their time for essentials, such as working a job to contribute to household maintenance.

In other words, those who benefited most from the intended-to-be-inclusive policy were those who were already most advantaged. Needless to say, that similarly well-intentioned experiment has come to an end.


...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...