Waukegan schools begin two-year push to separate academic grades from behavior
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Summary
A district committee presented a two-year plan to standardize grading across schools, recommend separating academic performance from behavior in gradebooks and create common learning outcomes; board members raised questions about teacher engagement, parent communication and timelines.
The Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education heard a detailed update July 9 on work to rewrite district grading practice and align course-level expectations across middle and high schools. Jennifer Rice de la Sanchez and a multi‑member team told the board the plan will take about two years and centers on separating academic performance from behaviors in gradebooks, aligning assessments to standards and ensuring grades “mean the same thing for all students,” district presenters said.
The proposals follow a year-and-a-half review by four subcommittees that surveyed students and staff, examined gradebooks, and held three town halls. Presenters said surveys of about 1,500 students and 130 staff showed agreement on many points but “two glaring exceptions” where students and staff differed: inconsistent grading between teachers and the inclusion of nonacademic behaviors in grades.
Under the committee recommendations, teachers would still record behaviors and participation in the gradebook but those entries would be weighted at 0 for the academic grade so they communicate without changing the academic mark. Course teams would develop four to six learning outcomes per unit aligned to standards; middle- and high‑school content teams would adopt common weights and naming conventions; and after those steps, the district would review the efficacy of the current 100-point grading scale.
Board members pressed for broader teacher involvement, citing the modest staff survey response and the need for teacher buy‑in. Board member Nina Hannah said the 130 staff respondents were not representative of the district’s full teaching corps and asked for expanded outreach. Presenters said the work will be department- and course-driven and that the committee expects to use institute days and SIP Wednesdays for collaborative work with teachers.
Board members also raised parent communication and technical concerns: some parents receive report-card percentages before individual assignments are entered, producing misleading interim grades. Trustees asked for standardized syllabus templates, clearer grade-book naming conventions and more consistent grading-entry schedules so midterm reports reflect actual student progress.
Presenters acknowledged the change will be “clunky” at first and advised a phased rollout with professional development and time for departments to negotiate performance descriptors for each learning outcome. The administration said the grading work aligns with the district’s broader Tier 1 instructional initiatives and with MTSS and special-education supports for students who need alternate assessments.
Student board members said they supported separating behavior from academics and asked to be included in follow-up work. The board did not vote on new policy at the July 9 session; presenters said they will return with implementation progress and data within two years.
The board president thanked the committee and asked staff to continue planning with a clear calendar for the work and parent-facing materials.
