Salem students and board spar over proposed grading policy; motion to adopt fails

Dozens of students, parents and school officials pressed the Salem School Board on June 17 over a proposed change to grading policy IKA that would give teachers two scoring pathways (rubric-based or percentage) and convert both into a single letter grade on report cards.

The public comment period opened with several Salem High School students urging the board not to replace the 100-point percentage scale. Jack Redmond, an upcoming senior, told the board the shift “will be detrimental” to students and that the 100 scale “gives credit where credit is due.” Abigail Joss, another student, provided a numeric example, saying a 20 out of 22 (about 91 percent) was converted under the 4-point rubric to “a 3.5 out of 4” and then to an 87.5 percent equivalent, reducing her earned score by several percentage points.

The administration’s draft policy aims to create consistency at the high school by allowing classroom-appropriate scoring methods while requiring a single letter-grade translation for reporting. Assistant Superintendent Angela Markley described the proposal as a way to let teachers score assignments using whichever method best fits the assignment, then map those scores to a common letter grade and GPA conversion. Markley also proposed forming a grading study committee to work through implementation details next school year and report back to the board by April.

Board members debated the proposal for roughly an hour and a half. Board Vice Chair Bernard Campbell (also the board’s attorney) said the policy as presented “is an improvement” over current language but urged that the board require the superintendent to form a committee to examine mechanics such as weighting between quizzes, tests and finals, and how semester and year‑long courses should be handled. Several board members, including Kelly Moss and Michael Carney, urged caution about readiness of staff, parents and Infinite Campus (the district’s student information system) to implement the change this fall.

Student representative Mackenzie Donahue told the board she had not seen wide faculty or student support for the change and encouraged the board to review a student- and teacher‑compiled survey the students said shows strong opposition. Donahue supported forming the grading committee but said the scale was “not at a point where it’s ready to be brought out.”

Board member Bernard Campbell moved to adopt the fourth‑reading draft of policy IKA dated June 17, 2025, with the requirement that the superintendent establish a grading committee by Sept. 15, 2025, and that committee report by April 1, 2026. The motion failed for lack of a second; no substitute motion passed. Chair Pamela Berry told the meeting the failure leaves the district without a finalized grading change and directed administrators to bring a plan to the July meeting.

The discussion produced several concrete directions for administration: continue committee planning and detailed work with Infinite Campus, prepare parent and staff communications before the school year, and return to the board with a clearer implementation timeline and an example of how grades will appear in Infinite Campus. The board did not adopt the new grading policy at the meeting.

The board scheduled follow-up at its July meeting to decide next steps on grading and the proposed committee.