The Los Angeles Unified School District Board (LAUSD) voted Tuesday to lower the minimum grade high school students needed to pass college preparatory classes, NBC Los Angeles reports.
Prior to the vote, students were required to earn at least a C average in these classes in order to pass. With the restriction removed, students earning failing grades according to most school systems will still be allowed to graduate.
During the meeting, a group of students and parents assembled outside to protest the lower benchmarks being set by the school district. Many believed that the lower grades are allowing students to graduate while still being unprepared for college-level classes.
The lessened restriction will be enacted starting with the class of 2017. Within this class less than half of students are projected to meet the C average. This statistic further bolsters the protesters argument that the school board appears to be taking the easy way out. Rather than trying to fix protocol, the school district appears to be turning its back on its students.
Within the next few months the superintendent of schools must present a plan to help these students achieve the new average. In an effort to help Superintendent Ramon Cortines, extra funding has been put aside for the sole purpose of pursuing higher success rates.
Those in the Los Angeles area will certainly be keeping a watchful eye on the L.A. school system as it attempts to improve the percentage of students meeting these goals.