Mineola presents "Build Your Own Grade" pilot to redesign high-school grading and launch 8th-grade pilot

At a Mineola Union Free School District Board of Education meeting, district instructional leaders presented "Build Your Own Grade" (BYOG), a student-centered grading system the district will pilot with eighth graders next school year and begin rolling into high-school Regents-level courses.

District presenters said BYOG replaces a 0–100 numeric system with weekly, one-page units that list success criteria and multiple learning pathways. "Build your own grade, a revolutionary approach transforming the concept of transparency, ownership of learning, and redefining what grades can be at the high school," said Wade Brozick during the presentation. The program uses tiered tasks (knowledge → application → transfer), point values tied to demonstrated application, and a visible point-tracking system so students see how their work translates to a grade.

The district framed BYOG as an extension of existing practices that began in kindergarten with badge books and scales in earlier grades. Presenters and teachers said the model aims to reduce subjectivity, emphasize evidence of learning and give students choice in how they demonstrate mastery. "The role of the teacher is more important than ever," said teacher Julia Montgomery, adding that teachers become facilitators who "provide feedback, confer with learners, and dive into rich conversations." A student who piloted the approach said, "When I pace myself, I usually do better work... I got way more done in a shorter amount of time."

District staff gave specifics about course readiness and timeline. ELA 9 is built out, ELA 10 and 11 were described as nearly complete, and math courses (algebra 1, algebra 2, geometry) were nearing completion. The team said they will pilot a "guided BYOG" in eighth grade, where students receive more direct teacher support, and plan to offer BYOG options to upperclassmen when logistically feasible. Presenters emphasized that Regents exams and other formal assessments will remain part of the program: "Kids still have to take tests. They still have to pass a regents," a presenter said while explaining how exams will be incorporated into the point scales.

Staff described development of a digital management platform (the district said a developer associated with MIT is building the platform) to host course materials, points and progress dashboards; they said they aim to have the platform ready by the start of the school year for the initial pilot. Teachers who participated in the learning walk reported classroom practices such as station rotations and conferencing that allowed more individualized support. Presenters acknowledged the rollout will be messy and iterative and asked for continued board support as materials and logistics are finalized.

Board members and administrators praised the work and expressed questions about logistics and assessments. One trustee asked about alignment of tests when students work at differing paces; presenters said conferences, targeted quizzes and benchmark exams would be used as needed. Board members also discussed executive-functioning skills (time management, self-direction) that BYOG expects students to develop, and district staff said they are building supports into the program to teach those skills.

Next steps listed by district staff included continuing to build courses through the spring, launching an eighth-grade guided pilot the following school year, demonstrating the digital platform to the board before broad rollout, and continuing teacher professional development to shift classroom practices toward conferencing and performance-based assessment.