Parent criticizes Novi High’s new 4-point grading scale as inconsistently implemented and insufficiently vetted

During public comment on April 24, a Novi parent, Jenny D’Amour, told trustees she was disappointed by the high school’s recently implemented four-point grading scale for some classes and said the change was made without adequate stakeholder input.

D’Amour said the high school now scores graded work on a 0–4 scale and that, according to administrators she met with, the change aimed to address grading inconsistencies. She said she had asked administrators for data and problem definitions and received none: “Was there a real problem, and does this new system actually do anything to fix that problem? My answer is no,” she told the board.

The parent said the shift occurred before substantive teacher, student and parent input. She reported inconsistent adoption among teachers—some using plus/minus, some allowing decimal or fractional scores and others using the new 0–4 values—and said the district described the policy as a “work in progress.” She said inconsistent implementation had real-time impacts on current students and urged the district to evaluate effects on grades and fairness.

Board President Dr. Ruskin acknowledged the comment and said staff would follow up with D’Amour outside the meeting. Trustees did not respond substantively during the public-comment period in order to comply with public-meeting rules that limit comment-time responses from the board.

The transcript records the parent’s request for further evaluation; district staff said they would follow up with the speaker.