Fairfax Trained Teachers to Disregard Objections to ‘Equity Grading’

 Teachers in Virginia’s Fairfax County Public Schools were required to undergo professional development training on equity grading that includes a slideshow on responding to people who oppose equity initiatives.

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The syllabus for the professional development program Grading for Equity says it was designed to “support educators in understanding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of implementing equitable grading practices” and required teachers to read the book Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman.

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The Washington Examiner reported last year on efforts at Langley High School and other Fairfax County Public Schools to implement equity grading, a practice of grading that involves a multifaceted approach to lower the chances of a student failing. Tenets of equity grading include the elimination of “0” grades through the implementation of a 50% minimum grade on all assignments, the removal of deadlines, and the opportunity to redo assignments.

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Included in those resources is a slideshow on “Navigating Resistance” to equity programs that included instructions on how to respond to people who are critical of equity initiatives in different scenarios.

One of the slides describes a person who “struggle[s] to differentiate between equity and equality” and how this person believes “fair is equal.”

“Because the ‘Fairness-Seeker’ idealizes equality, it may be especially challenging for them to believe in systemic racism: a common refrain from white people engaging in this type of resistance is, ‘but I grew up poor,'” the slide reads. “A lack of experience with racial inequities makes them naive even if their intentions are good — the upside is they can become ardent equity supporters if you can redirect their definition of fairness from equal to equity.”

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For another scenario, the slideshow describes the “Minimizer,” who may say things like “I don’t see color” or that the world is inherently unfair. The slide says such people “nee[d] expanded perspective” {snip}

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