Thanks for the public comments from the teachers' union representatives. I think Trustee Faillace had some valuable comments and insights, but I basically agree with the preponderance of evidence that distance learning (on-line) basically has been proven at this time to INCREASE WEALTH-INEQUITY. This also has been discovered (statistically proven, and observationally noted) in a local Silicon Valley study of the on-line iReady program for 7th grade math education (used by MVWSD for all students).

The problem is assess - the buzz word for that is DIGIAL DIVIDE. It is real, it is measurable, and it has been measured and found-a-problem. No students will be harmed when the collective GPAs of all students at MVLA are all impacted. This is NOT SF's 'brain dead' idea of giving "A"s to everyone! It is not MVWSD's brain dead idea of 'not grading work'.

A reasonable compromise aligned with a reasonable understanding of several different closely related research studies. I LIKE my community public policy based on good data. I also like it based on equity not, 'most AP courses / highest GPA' family push! Just quit 'shoving' for the-front-of-the-line guys!

This article is linked to a WSJ article on 6-22-2020 on the failure of remote learning/online lessons. To read this piece by the Mountain View Voice is laughable despite the serious topic of educating our youth. I'll make this very brief: The devil is not in the details of the student performance stats. while Covid-19 pandemic. The Devil is on the backs of administration AND Teachers that hide behind the buttress of your Unions while delivering poor professional services. Eliminate Public Teachers unions and support vouchers and charter schools. Our kids need Me Too and a Black Lives Matters type movements to bring their plight to public view.

Just an observation.

It is VERY hard to establish valid grading in the school system.

Especially if you are emphasizing critical thinking.

How does one paper warrant a better letter grade over another is in many ways not reliable or valid.

I work in HR and using grades on people is VERY tricky. It is easy to get into providing bias even when you try VERY hard to prevent it.

So the idea that if a performance would be above "satisfactory" could warrant a "Pass" or Credit" that seems like it would offer less possibility of bias.

And this also applies to "SAT" or tests like that given that they have issues with reliability and validity as well. Many questions tend to be misunderstood by the readers and thus wind up with false test results.

This is a difficult problem.