Netizens and social media users are alleging that Los Angeles schools use diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices when determining how students should be graded.
Libs of TikTok flagged a section about “Equitable Grading and Instruction” on the Los Angeles Unified School District’s website. LAUSD describes Equitable Grading and Instruction, or EGI, as a “growth-mindset approach” that serves as an alternative to “traditional instruction and grading.”
“By refocusing classroom grading, assessment, instruction, and lesson planning on clear learning targets, and by implementing research-based systems honoring individual variation in learning styles, Equitable Grading and Instruction allows more students to succeed academically and ultimately to take charge of their own learning,” LAUSD says.
Libs of TikTok shared another image from LAUSD’s website that further explains EGI and teacher-student relationships.
“Through professional development and implementation support, we increase the number of EGI-certified educators while providing ongoing learning opportunities,” LAUSD explains. “Additionally, we foster collaboration through bi-annual unConferences and build teacher leadership through the EGI Champions initiative and Micro-Credential program to sustain equitable practices in LAUSD schools.”
.@LASchools has an “equitable grading” program to train teachers on alternative grading methods to be more diverse and inclusive
They’re dumbing down your kids in the name of DEI
HOMESCHOOL pic.twitter.com/sf4i96JEsp
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 19, 2026
Defending Education refers to equitable grading as “anti-racist assessment” because it attempts to address “inequities” and “bias” in education. Incredibly, 42 school districts across 11 states paid consultants more than $9.2 million for equitable grading professional development.
The U.S. education system has come under immense criticism in recent years, even more so as educators use social media to share their political views. Since the start of 2026, schools have posted videos and images featuring anti–United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests on school grounds, including demonstrations involving young children in New York and Boston. Teachers frequently go viral for sharing anti-ICE and anti-Donald Trump content on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
However, there is a clear difference between a teacher’s personal TikTok page and schools using alternative methods to grade students. You may have heard the cliché that every student has different needs, which is absolutely true. Student A might learn better through diagrams and PowerPoint presentations, whereas Student B might retain more information through audio recordings.
They’re literally training teachers to stop penalizing late work and behavior so grades feel ‘fairer.’ Meanwhile kids graduate unprepared for real life
— Oyeniran Michael (@MikeAgrow) February 19, 2026
That doesn’t appear to be what equitable grading and instruction are designed to do. Practices should be in place to help students succeed through effort rather than simply showing up. For example, a teacher might offer extra after-school sessions or provide additional resources via a study guide.
An X user who identified themselves as a private educator wrote, “I would not grade students on anything other then their work. When the education system is sorted perhaps I’ll work in an institution. [Until] then I do far more good this way.”
Others accused LAUSD of setting students up to fail in adulthood because they’ve been taught that “equity” is enough to cover subpar work. Some referenced “participation trophies” and the idea that certain students might pass solely as a result of alternative grading.
“School ≠ education,” actress Sam Sorbo wrote on X. “Stop believing the lie.”
