CA Governor Signed Assembly Bill 104 into Law. What Was It?

On Thursday, July 1, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 104 into law. We provided the following important information about how this legislation related to students. The bill contained three major provisions: retention, grading, and graduation policies.

Below is an overview of each provision:

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Grade Change Option (Grades 9–12)

AB 104 permitted parents of students who were in high school during the 2020–21 school year (or students who had turned 18) to request that letter grades earned during the previous school year be changed to Pass/No Pass on transcripts. The law required CSU campuses, and encouraged UC campuses and private postsecondary institutions, to accept these grade designations without prejudice.

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Retention (Grades 9–12)

In preparation for the 2021–22 school year, students were eligible for a retention consultation if they received deficient grades in at least half of their coursework during the 2020–21 school year and their parents were interested in having them repeat a grade level. Deficient grades included D, F, or No Pass. This temporary retention policy was in addition to existing district retention policies. Students who were in 12th grade during the 2020–21 school year were not eligible.

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Parents or guardians of eligible students were required to request the retention consultation in writing. Districts then had 30 calendar days to hold the consultation and 10 calendar days after the meeting to issue a final decision.

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Coursework Completion (Grades 9–12)

AB 104 exempted students who were juniors and seniors during the 2020–21 school year from high school graduation requirements beyond statewide requirements if they were not on track to graduate within four years. The law also required school districts to provide opportunities for juniors and seniors to meet statewide graduation requirements through options that included a fifth year of high school.

For additional questions, families were encouraged to contact jcordero@teachps.org.