Central Unified School District reversed course on its grading policy this week, saying that students will be required to turn in assignments for the rest of the school year.

As of Monday, high school students are receiving “A,” “B,” or “C” letter grades, and if they meet minimum requirements, they will receive a pass.

Elementary and middle school students’ final grades will be a “complete” or an incomplete” based on the work students turn in from this week until the end of the school year.

“We feel it is critical to continue learning through the end of the school year both to keep brains engaged in learning and keep a structure related to school and also help prepare students for their classes next year,” said Ketti Davis, the district’s assistant superintendent.

All students will receive credit if they turn in missing work from the first six weeks of school closures, Davis confirmed, and grades can only be improved.

“We want them to be engaged. However, we cannot expect for them, on their own, to perform in the same exact way they were in the classroom,” Davis said.

Davis also acknowledged there are going to be gaps in student learning, and teachers will have to take that into account in the fall and teach some missed lessons during the first semester.

Central Unified officials said the change in grading policy for its more than 16,000 students was crafted around state guidance and in collaboration with the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools.

“UC/CSU and community colleges released guidance on April 9 which aided in the development of a grading plan that would do no harm to our high school students as they make plans to apply for colleges,” officials said in an email to The Bee.

Fresno-area schools shut down campuses in mid-March to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, and schools across the state have been scrambling to put together distance learning, grading, and graduation plans.

About 80% of students are engaged in online learning. About 10% of students are picking up packets of homework, and another 10% have yet to connect with teachers. Officials are working to determine who those students need and how to communicate with them, Davis said.

District leaders declined to discuss details of any graduation ceremony plans but said an announcement is expected next week. However, during Tuesday’s board meeting, Superintendent Andrew Alvarado signaled the district’s hands might be tied when it comes to a traditional commencement ceremony in June.

“It is my understanding the Department of Health won’t be in favor of any gathering even if it is a gathering of 10 or less,” Superintendent Andrew Alvarado said. “If it was all up to us, we would try to get you in a gym or the Savemart Center and obviously do it the traditional way … but it doesn’t look like we’re going to be given that latitude.”

Tuesday’s board meeting came hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested in a news conference that some California public schools could reopen as early as July to make up for lost academic time amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The governor’s remarks caught school officials off guard and appeared to frustrate superintendent, who said his office was subsequently flooded with questions local officials couldn’t answer.

“I wish sometimes he would pause a little bit before making statements such as that,” Alvarado said Tuesday. “There’s just so many other hurdles we have to overcome in order to consider that.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.