In light of the recent and unprecedented changes presented by COVID-19 around the globe, an admirable coalition of students are advocating that all Santa Monica and Malibu Unified School District schools implement a new "Pass/Fail" grading system for the remainder of the year. While their argument has its merits, there are some unavoidable consequences that we as a community should realize before committing ourselves to such a drastic change in the grading system we are all accustomed to.  

First off, pass/fail grades completely oversimplify all the learning and hard work that occurred before the pandemic. The binary nature of Pass/Fail grades alone lacks the dimensions of learning/work ethic that the A-F system is able to present, thus preventing future job employers and college admissions officers from seeing the magnitude of prospective students' academic achievements. And with SMMUSD being a minority of school districts implementing such a system, this collectively hurts the entire school. By not allowing students to showcase their academic prowess, it is logical that employers and colleges turn to other schools that more accurately reflect a student's readiness for college and/or the workforce. This is an argument that the other side has failed to recognize. 

In addition, pass/fail grades harm students who were hoping to raise their cumulative Grade Point Average. This makes sense: since no point totals would be awarded for "passed" classes, students who were struggling in semesters before will not be able to raise their GPA during the 2020 Spring semester. The implications of this can be quite negative for a majority of students, since GPA is often one of the deciding factors in college admissions, merit and income-based scholarships, and even employment. By implementing pass/fail grades, a vast number of students who aspired to work hard and raise their GPA as a result will not be granted that opportunity. 

Third, as revealed to us by the Associated Student Body's Student Member of the Board, teachers are not allowed to fail students during this time. In fact, the lowest grade a student is able to receive during this time period is the grade they went into quarantine with. All the people I have personally spoken to who signed my competitor's petition were all conveniently unaware of this fact; it appears as though this lack of crucial information created an entire brouhaha surrounding this "issue" that, in reality, is not really much of an issue. If teachers are prevented from failing students and lowering their grades, then what is the point of a pass/fail grading system? Is it possible that the students who created the antithetical petition were simply trying to "coast" throughout the rest of the semester? This side of the argument is genuinely curious to know. 

Lastly, and what is perhaps the most important point of this argument, it is necessary to remember what school is about: learning and being prepared for the real would. Pass/Fail grades disincentivize students from actually learning the material in class that would prepare them for beyond. Whether "beyond" for some students entails the workforce, college, or even the remaining years of high school, SMMUSD would be doing its students a disservice by not preparing them for what is to come. Initiating a Pass/Fail grading system would set students up for failure in the future rather than success. 

To conclude, we do not believe a pass/fail grading system best serves the needs or interests of SMMUSD students. The opposition claims that there are an overwhelming number of underprivileged students who are unable to perform well during these times, but that is found hard to believe. Each SMMUSD students has a chromebook, access to free Wi-Fi per their request, and understanding teachers that have been given explicit orders to not penalize late work, fail students, nor lower their grades to what it was before stay-at-home orders. To say that the entire school should be subjugated to a grading system that appeals to the agenda of small (and perhaps nonexistent) minority would above all else be totally unfair.

Perhaps the best and most compromising option is to allow students the option to choose which system they prefer. Similar to what many graduate schools and universities are doing during this time period, this would allow students to decide which option best suits them personally. Forcing an entire student body of roughly 3,000 students (at just Santa Monica High School alone) to comply to a single grading system during these times is unreasonable. Giving students a choice, however, allows students and families to work together and decide what option best suits their needs and circumstances at the present moment. It is possible that the best and most equitable decision during these times is not one or the other, but perhaps a blend of both.  

We thank you for reading our petition.