School districts across the United States have spent more than $9 million on “equitable grading” consultants since 2014, according to a new report from watchdog group Defending Education.
The report identified 39 districts in seven states that collectively spent $9,028,000 on outside consultants promoting equitable grading practices, which is defined as “a popular grading framework that seeks to address ‘inequities’ and ‘bias’ in education.”
“It is rooted in the belief that all inequitable outcomes are the result of implicit and systemic bias (for example, white supremacy) and creates barriers to success for minority and low-income students,” Defending Education said, according to The Daily Wire.
The biggest spender was California, with school districts in the state disbursing $7.7 million on equitable grading services. One district, Modesto City Schools, spent $4.3 million alone. $3.9 million of this spending came from federal funds.
“There are serious concerns about consistency in K–12 grading practices — and unfortunately, equitable grading is the latest feel-good education fad to gain traction,” said Rhyen Staley, a researcher at Defending Education, in comments to The Daily Wire.
“This grading philosophy reflects far-left ideological biases while discriminating against merit-based behaviors that are proven to lead to success. Discouraging hard work and meritocracy harms all students — but it’s especially damaging to the lowest performers,” Staley added.
The increased spending to make grading practices more “equitable” comes despite school children’s grades declining, particularly since before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, reading scores have dropped and math scores have shown minimal improvement since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
