Author: Mandy Yang

Under Governor Gavin’s rules for reopening schools this fall, any California county classified as a “red zone” must offer digital courses only, without any in-person classes, regardless of public or private school.

Since Orange County is currently classified as a “red zone,” all Irvine schools will begin the new school year online.

Along with online learning at school, Advanced Placement (AP) testing has also made the switch to digital.

These tests occur once a year, evaluating a high school students’ year of learning. A strong score on the test can waive necessary college credit for graduation later.

Irvine Unified School District has announced a switch to a credit/no credit grading policy, temporarily shifting away from the standard letter grade system. 

For the last semester or trimester (depending on education level), everything will be pass or fail.

All IUSD schools have transitioned to distance learning.  This switch was meant to protect teachers and students alike from COVID-19 (coronavirus).

On Wednesday, March 18th, all classes at my high school, Woodbridge High, transitioned to online. This new way of learning is drastically different from traditional high schools. 

The reaction of students to Irvine’s school closures due to the coronavirus threat highlights the Irvine bubble we live in.

For families living paycheck-to-paycheck, these school closures will have a dramatic financial impact.