San Francisco announced and then swiftly reversed a new "grading for equity" initiative last week. The rapid reversal is a sign of a resurgent moderate wing of urban politics — and of a growing anxiety among Democrats that they are losing their traditional status as the party the public trusts on education.

Central to this issue is the idea that "equity" in education has come to be code for low standards and a lack of rigor. The proposal included making it easier for students to retake tests, excluding factors like lateness and participation for final grades, excluding consideration of homework from grades, and relying on "summative" testing to assess student learning.

Grading for equity sparks intense controversy wherever it pops up, because it sounds to many parents like giving up on e

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