Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Elite San Francisco school sees spike in D's and F's after dropping merit-based admissions
adnamerica.com ^ | May 29, 2022 | Joshua Shin

Posted on 05/30/2022 8:01:05 AM PDT by grundle

San Francisco’s elite Lowell High School is seeing a record number of failing grades in its fall 2021 class – the first admitted through a new lottery system over its merit-based admissions process

San Francisco’s Lowell High School is seeing a record number of failing grades in its fall 2021 class – the first admitted through a new lottery system over its merit-based admissions process.

Of the 620 students in Lowell’s freshman class, 24.4% received at least D or F in their first semester, according to internal records obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

This is almost triple the number of the first-year students in the two years before – 7.9% in fall 2020 and 7.7% in fall 2019. The Chronicle notes that fall 2020 was also the first full semester of remote learning.

The fall 2021 class was chosen primarily based on a lottery instead of a decades-old merit-based system based on test scores and grades, bringing it in line with almost every other high school in the city.

Those who supported the new lottery said the merit-based system was racist because it resulted in an underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic students, reports Asian American news site Nextshark.

Its opponents said it would undermine the academic competitiveness that made Lowell successful and harm Asians, who make up the majority of the school’s student body.

According to district data, Lowell’s number of ninth-graders with a D or F is now closer to numbers at other high schools in the city.

The outgoing Lowell principal, Joe Ryan Dominguez, said that “there are way too many variables that contributed” to the spike in D’s and F’s.

“Over a year of distance learning, half of our student body new to in-person instruction at the high school level and absences among students/staff for COVID all explain this dip in performance,” said Dominguez wrote in an email to the Chronicle.

“It is important not to insinuate a cause on such a sensitive topic at the risk of shaming our students and teachers who have worked very hard in a difficult year.”

Dominguez announced his resignation last month citing a lack of “well organized systems, fiscal responsibility and sound instructional practices as the path towards equity.”

San Francisco recently voted out three school board members for prioritizing social justice over reopening schools.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bidenvoters; education
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-38 next last

1 posted on 05/30/2022 8:01:06 AM PDT by grundle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: grundle

Lower standards equals lower performance. It’s not rocket science.


2 posted on 05/30/2022 8:04:37 AM PDT by Spok (Winston, how many fingers am I holding up?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

The education industry will drop grading systems altogether rather than face the truth.


3 posted on 05/30/2022 8:04:45 AM PDT by Blurb2350 (posted from my 1500-watt blow dryer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle
Step 1. Reduce quality of students by eliminating entrance testing.
Step 2. Maintain teaching methods, curricula and final grading evaluations
Step 3. More students fail.

Obviously step 2 needs to be changed.

4 posted on 05/30/2022 8:07:18 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favourable reference of the Devil...-Churchill)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

This is all OK...They’ll just forget the grading system and give all the kids “A”s...That way it shows how the school has “equity” down pat...


5 posted on 05/30/2022 8:07:29 AM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

I recall reading about how getting a failing grade could earn a student the strap or the cane.


6 posted on 05/30/2022 8:08:11 AM PDT by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966 )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

Now where’s that “I’m shocked” meme?


7 posted on 05/30/2022 8:08:39 AM PDT by markomalley (Directive 10-289 is in force)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Blurb2350

The education industry will drop grading systems altogether rather than face the truth.

I’ve said it before on these kinds of threads. Eventually, they’ll just give diplomas like Oz gave Scarecrow. There will be no-work jobs at woke corporations for them, too.


8 posted on 05/30/2022 8:09:14 AM PDT by rxh4n1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: grundle

No one fails college. No one. Put your name on a paper or test and get a D-, a passing grade.


9 posted on 05/30/2022 8:09:24 AM PDT by CodeToad (Arm up! They Have!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

unreported was the racial breakdown of the 24%


10 posted on 05/30/2022 8:09:58 AM PDT by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Promoting Afro Heritage diversity will destroy the democrats)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

Teachers making sure the kids don’t get smarter then the teacher or as they call it progressive teaching.


11 posted on 05/30/2022 8:10:55 AM PDT by Vaduz ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

Grades are SSOOOOOO racisss’!


12 posted on 05/30/2022 8:11:42 AM PDT by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Paladin2

The NBA should change to a lottery system. It would handle the racial imbalance.


13 posted on 05/30/2022 8:18:50 AM PDT by ActresponsiblyinVA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: JBW1949
This is all OK...They’ll just forget the grading system and give all the kids “A”s...That way it shows how the school has “equity” down pat...

That's pretty much what the libtards running NYC schools have done for years. That's the libtard solution to any failures...get rid of the standards that could not be passed. Bingo! Everyone passes. Great grade stats. Spewing thousands of illiterate morons into the workforce to fail, so they can turn to crime and drugs.

14 posted on 05/30/2022 8:30:29 AM PDT by EinNYC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: grundle

Wait until these poorer students begin trashing their over achieving classmates for their success. The good students are likely to submit to the peer pressure and begin to take their studies less seriously.


15 posted on 05/30/2022 8:31:48 AM PDT by wildbill (The older I get, the less the term 'life in prison" scares me)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

Ds and Fs are racist, so you can bet that there will be an announcement that they are dropping Ds and Fs or maybe just go to a no grade system so everyone passes.


16 posted on 05/30/2022 8:32:46 AM PDT by euram
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle
I'm surprised they're not giving out all A's.

Why keep the standards for grading if you're not keeping them for admissions?

Pass the uneducated on to employers and let them deal with it. That's the Leftist way.

17 posted on 05/30/2022 8:35:03 AM PDT by Jess Kitting
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bert

Remember, if there’s a disparity among racial groups, that is evidence the system is racist.


18 posted on 05/30/2022 8:35:03 AM PDT by Tea Party Terrorist (Eat the Rich)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: grundle

Clearly, the solution is to eliminate grades altogether so there is equity./s


19 posted on 05/30/2022 8:37:51 AM PDT by Lizavetta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grundle

Next step: Dumb down the grading system. It’s time to eliminate those ugly D and F grades.,Do no homework, answer no questions on any test or quiz and miss half your classes and you get a C.

Inevitable.


20 posted on 05/30/2022 8:39:59 AM PDT by InterceptPoint (Ted, you finally endorsed.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-38 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson