Report Finds More Than 12,000 Failing Grades Changed to Passing in Baltimore City Schools

A bombshell report just released by the Maryland Inspector General for Education shows more than twelve thousand failing grades were changed to passing over a five-year period in Baltimore City Schools.

The IG report was launched after a Project Baltimore investigation, dating back to 2017, and not only confirms what we found but more.

The report shows City Schools changed thousands of grades which could have had a significant impact on graduation rates.

Key findings from the report include:

• The Inspector General substantiated the allegation that City Schools incorrectly documented and promoted students by changing failing grades to those of passing grades. And that teachers had been pressured to change grades by school administrators. And School administrators were pressured to change grades by central office at “North Avenue.”
• The report looked at about 130 Baltimore City schools grades 6 through 12 and found 12,542 failing grades were changed to passing between 2016 and 2020.
• The report found, “The misunderstanding, misapplication, and non-compliance of grade change procedures increased the risk of inappropriate grade changes, which could significantly impact graduation rates.”
• The OIG recommends that the Maryland State Department of Education and the State Superintendent of Schools issue an emergency procurement for an independent performance audit of grading policies and procedures.

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