Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times
Karen Mozian home-schools her sixth-grade son, Elijah, at their home in Redondo Beach, Calif.
LOS ANGELES — Before the pandemic, Karen Mozian had a concrete vision of her son’s K-12 education: He would go to public school, just as she had.
But then schools shut down in March 2020, and Mozian saw 9-year-old Elijah glued to Zoom at the kitchen table, struggling to get his words out. Elijah stutters, and distance learning made it worse. He was barely engaging, daydreaming through his classes.
Elijah was diagnosed with ADHD in the summer of 2021, just before his sixth-grade year. He was back on campus, and his school granted him accommodations, such as additional testing times and help with incomplete assignments, but Mozian noticed that Elijah was expected to advocate for himself — and he didn’t want to be singled out. His grades dropped abruptly.
Combined with what she saw as a stressful environment of COVID-19 restrictions, Mozian realized that school wasn’t working for her son. It was painful to see him struggle so much. So she pulled him out and started teaching him herself.
“To say I’m home schooling my kid are words I never ever thought would cross my lips,” said Mozian, a wellness business owner and daughter of a longtime public school teacher. “But I realized that there are other ways to learn, that I put a lot of faith in the public school system.”
During the pandemic, a growing number of families across the U.S. have chosen to home school their children. The reasons for doing so are diverse, complex and span the socioeconomic and political spectrums: Schools implementing too many COVID-19 safety protocols, or too few. The polarizing conversation around critical race theory. Neurodivergent kids struggling with virtual instruction. And an overall waning faith in the public school system.
What all of these parents have in common is a desire to take control of their children’s education at a time when control feels elusive for so many people. In an effort to understand this trend, the Los Angeles Times interviewed 10 families in Southern California who were pushed by COVID-19 to start home schooling. While it remains to be seen how many will continue past the pandemic, most of these parents said they won’t return to brick-and-mortar schools now that they’ve experienced the benefits and flexibility of home schooling.
The proportion of American families home schooling at least one child grew from 5.4% in spring 2020 to 11.1% in fall 2021, according to a U.S. Census Bureau analysis. The number of Black families choosing to home school increased five-fold during that time, from 3.3% to 16.1%.
In California, nearly 35,000 families filed an affidavit with the state to open a private home school for five or fewer students during the 2020-2021 school year, more than double the affidavits filed in 2018-2019.
The pandemic enabled parents to truly witness for the first time how and what their children were learning, albeit at a time when educators were scrambling to adapt lessons to a virtual space. Many were unhappy with what they saw, said Martin Whitehead, spokesman for the Homeschool Association of California.
“There is dissatisfaction with how folks were being taught and treated in schools,” Whitehead said.
Such frustration often pre-dates — but was exacerbated by — the pandemic and is one reason more Black families are pivoting to parent-led education, said Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, co-editor of the book “Homeschooling Black Children in the U.S.”
Black parents already knew that their children are much more likely than white students to be punished and suspended, Ali-Coleman said. They knew, of course, about the school-to-prison pipeline and the fact that their kids will not see themselves in most mainstream curricula, outside of Black History Month. But seeing those realities play out in real-time was sobering and motivating.
“They saw how teachers were talking to the children, the tone of their voice,” Ali-Coleman said. “More Black parents started having conversations and camaraderie around this — that this is not right.” Though it should be noted, Ali-Coleman said, that Black families are not a monolith and their reasons for home schooling are diverse and layered.
Crista Maldonado-Dunn was interested in alternative education before COVID-19. But when her son’s preschool shut down in March 2020, she began talking with her close friends — all families of color — about “building an environment for our children to explore and love who they are, and where they come from.”
They formed a small co-op (affectionally called their “tribe”) and began meeting in Maldonado-Dunn’s backyard in El Segundo. Parents took turns teaching lessons, many of which were centered on their own identities and cultural histories. Maldonado-Dunn’s children were able to learn more about their Apache, Samoan, African, Spanish and Portuguese heritage. Family elders were invited to teach lessons.
“How do you prepare a child for an uncertain future?” asked Maldonado-Dunn, who left her career as an entertainment consultant to focus on her family. “We’re just trying to give them as many tools as possible, and a really strong sense of self. Every day is different, kind of like college for little people.” Her kids, now 3 and 5, are learning jiu-jitsu, Spanish, and hike with a group of other home schoolers weekly.
“The pandemic forced us to really look at what we value and prioritize those values,” she said.
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado // Getty Images
It didn’t take long for the letter and number grading systems to be adopted into more parts of the educational system in the United States—but no standardized version was used across the board. By the early 20th century, most public schools had a formal grading system in place for individual students, which was essential due to major changes occurring with the system itself. Numerous laws were passed during this time that required students to attend school—which meant more students were in attendance at this time—and immigration increased the number of students attending school, too. As such, schools had to formalize ways to keep track of student records and student evaluations, and in turn, implemented standardized grading systems—both number and letter grades—to make it easier to grade students on a firm set of standard criteria.
JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado // Getty Images
It didn’t take long for the letter and number grading systems to be adopted into more parts of the educational system in the United States—but no standardized version was used across the board. By the early 20th century, most public schools had a formal grading system in place for individual students, which was essential due to major changes occurring with the system itself. Numerous laws were passed during this time that required students to attend school—which meant more students were in attendance at this time—and immigration increased the number of students attending school, too. As such, schools had to formalize ways to keep track of student records and student evaluations, and in turn, implemented standardized grading systems—both number and letter grades—to make it easier to grade students on a firm set of standard criteria.
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
Dave Mathias/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Just 10 years after colleges and universities stopped using the letter E as a grade, the grading system had been widely adopted across the nation. By the 1940s, the letter grading scale was the most commonly used grading system. This system was used in conjunction with the 4.0 scale and the number grading system—grades from 0 to 100—and had been implemented by elementary, middle, and high school public systems as well as colleges and universities. The system would continue to be revised over time and would eventually become more integrated with the number grading scale. The letter grading system continues to be used today—though it comes in many forms and variations, including curved grades and cohort grading, depending on the school system.
This story originally appeared on StudySoup and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Dave Mathias/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Just 10 years after colleges and universities stopped using the letter E as a grade, the grading system had been widely adopted across the nation. By the 1940s, the letter grading scale was the most commonly used grading system. This system was used in conjunction with the 4.0 scale and the number grading system—grades from 0 to 100—and had been implemented by elementary, middle, and high school public systems as well as colleges and universities. The system would continue to be revised over time and would eventually become more integrated with the number grading scale. The letter grading system continues to be used today—though it comes in many forms and variations, including curved grades and cohort grading, depending on the school system.
This story originally appeared on StudySoup and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
-
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
Keystone View/FPG // Getty Images
Formal education systems have been in place for thousands of years—from the earliest examples of China’s Xia dynasty schooling that began in 2070 B.C., to the robust, philosophically based education systems used by the ancient Greeks beginning in 500 B.C. While formal education has been around since what feels like the dawn of time, the grading system used to determine mastery of subject matter is a relatively new concept.
It wasn’t too terribly long ago that schools had no way to even evaluate how well students mastered or achieved in school. Earlier versions of the education system relied on many different markers to determine whether students succeeded in their studies. And, in many cases, no scoring systems or pass or fail markers were used at all. Students simply learned and moved on—provided they were privileged enough to be able to attend formal schooling in the first place.
That’s quite different from the systems used today. Most schools now use either a letter grading system from A to F to score students on their subject mastery or use a number, such as a 4.0 grading scale. These grades indicate not only whether students pass or fail, but also how well they’ve mastered the subject matter. Students have learned to judge themselves and others on their ability to grasp a concept based on these systems. Getting a good grade in a class or on a test means they’ve achieved something special—something worthy of pride.
But how did the education systems shift from having no grading systems in place to the formal letter grading systems used today? StudySoup used internet sources on the history of education to compile a list of 10 milestones that occurred with the letter grading system to lead to where it is today in the United States. These milestones start with the earliest assessments and grow into a letter grading system that is as complex and varied as the education system. Here’s what you should know about the history of the letter grading system.
Keystone View/FPG // Getty Images
Formal education systems have been in place for thousands of years—from the earliest examples of China’s Xia dynasty schooling that began in 2070 B.C., to the robust, philosophically based education systems used by the ancient Greeks beginning in 500 B.C. While formal education has been around since what feels like the dawn of time, the grading system used to determine mastery of subject matter is a relatively new concept.
It wasn’t too terribly long ago that schools had no way to even evaluate how well students mastered or achieved in school. Earlier versions of the education system relied on many different markers to determine whether students succeeded in their studies. And, in many cases, no scoring systems or pass or fail markers were used at all. Students simply learned and moved on—provided they were privileged enough to be able to attend formal schooling in the first place.
That’s quite different from the systems used today. Most schools now use either a letter grading system from A to F to score students on their subject mastery or use a number, such as a 4.0 grading scale. These grades indicate not only whether students pass or fail, but also how well they’ve mastered the subject matter. Students have learned to judge themselves and others on their ability to grasp a concept based on these systems. Getting a good grade in a class or on a test means they’ve achieved something special—something worthy of pride.
But how did the education systems shift from having no grading systems in place to the formal letter grading systems used today? StudySoup used internet sources on the history of education to compile a list of 10 milestones that occurred with the letter grading system to lead to where it is today in the United States. These milestones start with the earliest assessments and grow into a letter grading system that is as complex and varied as the education system. Here’s what you should know about the history of the letter grading system.
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
Bettmann // Getty Images
Archaeologists have found evidence that both a formal and informal education system existed in ancient Greece. Students who received formal educations attained them via a public school system or tutor, with the formal education system primarily reserved for males and nonslaves. But while the ancient Greek society had a publicly accessible education system, there were no letter or number grades used to complete student evaluations. Assessments were only used for formative learning, not for evaluating. This meant that student evaluations were nonexistent—as were any methods for tracking whether a student had mastered the subject matter at hand or required more education and training.
Bettmann // Getty Images
Archaeologists have found evidence that both a formal and informal education system existed in ancient Greece. Students who received formal educations attained them via a public school system or tutor, with the formal education system primarily reserved for males and nonslaves. But while the ancient Greek society had a publicly accessible education system, there were no letter or number grades used to complete student evaluations. Assessments were only used for formative learning, not for evaluating. This meant that student evaluations were nonexistent—as were any methods for tracking whether a student had mastered the subject matter at hand or required more education and training.
-
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
MPI // Getty Images
Ancient Greece may not have required formal exams to evaluate students, but as of the mid-1600s in the United States, Harvard University did. Harvard—which has long been considered one of the most innovative and storied higher education systems—began to require exit exams for students as early as 1646. These exit exams were required for students to obtain degrees from the university, but there were no formal letter or number requirements at that point. The formal exit exam requirement helped to pave the way for a more official grading system to be put in place over time—both at Harvard and within other educational systems.
MPI // Getty Images
Ancient Greece may not have required formal exams to evaluate students, but as of the mid-1600s in the United States, Harvard University did. Harvard—which has long been considered one of the most innovative and storied higher education systems—began to require exit exams for students as early as 1646. These exit exams were required for students to obtain degrees from the university, but there were no formal letter or number requirements at that point. The formal exit exam requirement helped to pave the way for a more official grading system to be put in place over time—both at Harvard and within other educational systems.
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
Francis G. Mayer/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Yale University was one of the first schools to attempt a formal evaluation system for students—and it started with the university’s president Ezra Stiles. As early as 1785, there is evidence via Stiles’ diary that the president was attempting to evaluate students who attended exams at the university. Stiles did so by using four different Latin-based ranks: “optimi,” “second optimi,” “inferiores,” and “pejores”; or quality, best, worse, and worst. These ranks, or grades, were used to divide students into different grading or mastery categories—much like letter and number grades are used today.
Francis G. Mayer/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Yale University was one of the first schools to attempt a formal evaluation system for students—and it started with the university’s president Ezra Stiles. As early as 1785, there is evidence via Stiles’ diary that the president was attempting to evaluate students who attended exams at the university. Stiles did so by using four different Latin-based ranks: “optimi,” “second optimi,” “inferiores,” and “pejores”; or quality, best, worse, and worst. These ranks, or grades, were used to divide students into different grading or mastery categories—much like letter and number grades are used today.
-
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
Hulton Archive // Getty Images
Just a few years later, Yale began to implement a grading system that is similar to the one used today. Building on Ezra Stiles’ earlier attempts to evaluate students, Yale began to keep track of student information in what was called the “Book of Averages.” This book was used to document the rules and guidelines for exams—as well as the students’ exam results. What was especially unique about this book is that it was also used to average each students’ marks—or grades—which is precisely what is done in schools and institutes of higher education today. Even more interesting is the fact that it was done, at least in part, on a 4-point scale, which most colleges and universities still use. That said, there was still no evidence of a letter-grading system, but this 4.0 scale quickly evolved over the next few decades.
Hulton Archive // Getty Images
Just a few years later, Yale began to implement a grading system that is similar to the one used today. Building on Ezra Stiles’ earlier attempts to evaluate students, Yale began to keep track of student information in what was called the “Book of Averages.” This book was used to document the rules and guidelines for exams—as well as the students’ exam results. What was especially unique about this book is that it was also used to average each students’ marks—or grades—which is precisely what is done in schools and institutes of higher education today. Even more interesting is the fact that it was done, at least in part, on a 4-point scale, which most colleges and universities still use. That said, there was still no evidence of a letter-grading system, but this 4.0 scale quickly evolved over the next few decades.
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Yale’s early attempts at a grading scale paved the way for other colleges and universities to begin experimenting with other ways to evaluate students. While some of these scales were used to group students into larger categories or classifications—Harvard used such a system in the late-1800s, for example—other colleges and universities used specific systems to evaluate students on an individual basis. One of the more notable systems emerged from the University of Michigan, which in 1895 began to implement an individual student evaluation system of passing or failing. This system used five different scores or marks to evaluate students: passed, incomplete, not passed, conditional, or absent. Similar systems are still used today, though it’s more common for schools to implement a formal letter or number grading system to evaluate individual student performance.
Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Yale’s early attempts at a grading scale paved the way for other colleges and universities to begin experimenting with other ways to evaluate students. While some of these scales were used to group students into larger categories or classifications—Harvard used such a system in the late-1800s, for example—other colleges and universities used specific systems to evaluate students on an individual basis. One of the more notable systems emerged from the University of Michigan, which in 1895 began to implement an individual student evaluation system of passing or failing. This system used five different scores or marks to evaluate students: passed, incomplete, not passed, conditional, or absent. Similar systems are still used today, though it’s more common for schools to implement a formal letter or number grading system to evaluate individual student performance.
-
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
Michelle Patrick // Shutterstock
While schools began to implement formal student evaluation systems before 1897, the first real example of the letter-grade system emerged this year from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Unlike the current letter grading system, however, the Mount Holyoke scale was an A–E system, with no letter F grade in place. There are other differences in this letter grade scale, too. At Mount Holyoke, an A was awarded on a 5-point scale and represented grades of 95 to 100, while B and C grades were awarded on a 10-point scale. A letter grade of D was awarded to students who scored only a 75—nothing higher and nothing lower—and anything lower than a 75 was awarded an E, which was a failing grade.
Michelle Patrick // Shutterstock
While schools began to implement formal student evaluation systems before 1897, the first real example of the letter-grade system emerged this year from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Unlike the current letter grading system, however, the Mount Holyoke scale was an A–E system, with no letter F grade in place. There are other differences in this letter grade scale, too. At Mount Holyoke, an A was awarded on a 5-point scale and represented grades of 95 to 100, while B and C grades were awarded on a 10-point scale. A letter grade of D was awarded to students who scored only a 75—nothing higher and nothing lower—and anything lower than a 75 was awarded an E, which was a failing grade.
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile // Getty Images
The A–E letter grading scale didn’t last long. One year after its implementation, Mount Holyoke administrators added the letter F to the grading scale— with the F standing for failure. The other letters were revised at this point as well to add more symmetry to the grading scale. With this new version of the letter grading system, each letter grade represented a scale of five points. The letter grade A stood for 95 to 100, the letter grade B stood for 90 to 94, the letter grade C stood for 85 to 89, the letter grade D stood for 80 to 84, and letter grade E represented scores from 75 to 79. Anything lower than a 75 was awarded a letter grade of F, which was a failing grade.
H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile // Getty Images
The A–E letter grading scale didn’t last long. One year after its implementation, Mount Holyoke administrators added the letter F to the grading scale— with the F standing for failure. The other letters were revised at this point as well to add more symmetry to the grading scale. With this new version of the letter grading system, each letter grade represented a scale of five points. The letter grade A stood for 95 to 100, the letter grade B stood for 90 to 94, the letter grade C stood for 85 to 89, the letter grade D stood for 80 to 84, and letter grade E represented scores from 75 to 79. Anything lower than a 75 was awarded a letter grade of F, which was a failing grade.
-
-
A brief history of the letter grading system
Michelle Patrick // Shutterstock
There is no clear date as to when the letter E first started being removed from the letter grading scale. That said, most colleges had stopped using this letter to grade students by the year 1930. According to numerous sources, colleges stopped using E as part of the grading scale because of concern over students thinking that the letter grade stood for excellent. The letter was removed despite F standing for failing or failure—and it has remained that way in the time since.
Michelle Patrick // Shutterstock
There is no clear date as to when the letter E first started being removed from the letter grading scale. That said, most colleges had stopped using this letter to grade students by the year 1930. According to numerous sources, colleges stopped using E as part of the grading scale because of concern over students thinking that the letter grade stood for excellent. The letter was removed despite F standing for failing or failure—and it has remained that way in the time since.
