An independent audit conducted by Alvarez & Marsal found no evidence of widespread grade manipulation in Baltimore City Public Schools during the 2022-23 school year. The audit was prompted by a previous investigation by the state’s Office of Inspector General, which uncovered 12,500 instances of failing grades being changed from 2016 to 2020. The audit revealed that grade changes were limited in scale and impact, primarily occurring in elementary schools due to late grade entries.
The audit also found that the majority of grade changes were made for legitimate reasons, such as combining grades for transferring students or for Home and Hospital students with long-term medical issues. The report recommended implementing a clear and well-documented path for exceptions to grade changes, as well as providing teachers with additional time to enter grades on time.
The audit’s findings were seen as encouraging by city schools’ executive director of academics, Rachel Pfeifer, who stated that the school system is already planning to review its grading policies and consider the consultant’s recommendations. The Inspector General also praised the improvements made by the school system in response to the investigation, stating that policies and procedures are now in place to protect the integrity of the grading system.
The audit comes after previous issues were discovered at Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts in 2019, where grades were pressured to be changed, students were placed in non-existent classes, and graduation requirements were not legitimately met by some students. The school system took action by removing administrators and conducting a full investigation, resulting in at least 15 students improperly earning passing grades.
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