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"Distance learning is a challenge for most students perhaps, but a disaster for some.The mother of an 8th grader who&apos;s son attends a middle school in the San Jose Unified School District said her child&apos;s grades have dropped significantly.&#xA0;&#xA0;&quot;Two F&apos;s, a D,&#xA0;a C. I think two B&apos;s. This is a child who normally receives all A&apos;s and B&apos;s,&quot; the woman said, who asked not to be identified.&#xA0;Those are progress reports, not final grades. But she said&#xA0;other parents have complained.&quot;The method of learning needs to be adjusted. It&apos;s just not working. It&apos;s a failure,&quot; she said.A spokeswoman for the district says the failure rate so far has increased slightly compared to pre-COVID&#xA0;times, and that the district is reaching out to struggling students to find ways to help them improve.But some schools, such as Madison Park Academy, a 6th through 8th grade school in East Oakland, are finding some students have shown improvement with distance learning.&quot;I&apos;ve seen students in this virtual world that did not perform well only to do better virtually. Because they don&apos;t influence thieir classmates,&quot; said principal Lucinda Taylor.She says grades are tied to the students&apos; ability to meet state performance standards.&quot;We pull out those major standards and make sure students are competent in those grade-level standards. They call that standard space grading,&quot; she said.Educators say a lot of factors can contribute to academic struggles during a pandemic, from difficulties at home, restlessness, or computer problems.&quot;There is the teacher-student interaction that can affect grades, family to student interaction that sets up the environment as being conducive. And there is the student. Their decision to plug in,&quot; says education specialist Tammy Cabrera.Cabrera says teachers have to document why a student received a failing grade.&quot;In a D or an F the teacher has to give full accountability as to all the opportunities that students were given that resulted in that D or F. How many communications were given,&quot; she said.Educators say it may take the results of standardized tests, usually given in the spring, to determine how much students have been able to learn during the pandemic."
<https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-jose-unified-sees-slight-dip-in-grades-as-some-students-struggle-with-virtual-learning>