Updated at 2:25 p.m. April 8, 2020, to correct how second semester grades will be reported.

Richardson ISD is moving forward with a pass/fail course credit system for the rest of the school year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The spring semester’s final exams are also canceled under the plan, which the school board reviewed Monday.

The changes were driven in part by the state’s decision to cancel STAAR exams and the district’s ongoing adjustment to online learning.

Tabitha Branum, deputy superintendent, explained in a written statement to the school board that the district is still working on technology access for all students, and even with that access in place, it “cannot ensure the integrity or validity of grades during online learning."

The board reviewed the first draft of the plan during a March 30 work session. The school board does not have to vote on the plan because it does not require changes to existing policy.

Students will have to earn a 70 or better to receive a passing grade for the fourth nine-week grading period.

The changes also affect how grades will be reported on transcripts and the formula for calculating senior honor graduates. Students will receive a second semester grade on the transcript that will be calculated using the grade from the third nine-week period of the year (60%) and the fourth nine-week period, which will be either 100 or 69 (40%).

The district’s current GPA policy will be used to calculate class rank for the 2019-2020 school year.

Some ranking calculations will not change. For seniors in the top 10 of their class, honor graduates and the valedictorian and salutatorian, recognition will follow the current policy, which uses calculations based on the end of the third nine-week grading period.

Teachers will review and give feedback for all student work that is completed through at-home learning. Parents of students who are not completing the online lessons will receive a written notice from their child’s teacher.

Teacher feedback and grading will be posted in the Focus system, and district officials are encouraging parents to email their child’s teacher with any questions about grading and feedback.

CORRECTION, 2:46 p.m., April 8, 2020: An earlier version of the story said transcripts would show pass/fail for the second semester, but there will be a grade.