2M: Grading as Feedback: Lessons from Oakland's Journey to Improve 9th Grade Success

Ninth grade is the make-or-break year for high school success. Oakland Unified has improved its average 9th grade on-track rate by 17% and reduced variation between schools, with strong gains replicated for Black students. This workshop takes participants inside Oakland’s improvement journey through the Breakthrough Success Community (BTSC), CORE’s on-track network. The work centers on five key drivers—student-centered teaming, supportive transitions, empowering relationships, strategic scheduling, and grading as feedback—and participants will take a deep dive into Grading as Feedback. Through real artifacts from the Gradebook Audit routine co-developed by CORE and OUSD, attendees will explore how making variation visible can drive tough conversations and catalyze teacher leadership. Presenters will share how OUSD leaders built the conditions to create a more consistent and equitable 9th experience system-wide.