Quincy committee reviews proposed grading, attendance policy changes after educator endorsement

The Quincy School Committee on May 21 reviewed proposed revisions to the district grading policy (Policy Book Section 9.11) and the middle- and high-school attendance and tardy rules (Section 10.6), with educators and committee members requesting clarifications and outreach before a final vote.

Supporters, including Gail Carvalho, president of the Quincy Education Association, told the committee the two changes would “allow educators the ability to create a consistent learning environment complete with sequential lesson planning and effective assessment.” Carvalho said the letter-grade change at the high schools would align grades with what rising ninth-graders receive in middle school and “is more in line with the surrounding districts.”

The revisions under consideration would: replace the existing high-school grading format with a letter-grade system; clarify attendance thresholds and documentation requirements; define when a student is considered absent for a class (if they arrive more than halfway through a class); require a valid professional note after the third absence in a sequence; add religious or cultural holidays explicitly as…