Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Grading topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Salem High grading review advances; district plans fuller March presentation
Summary
Administrators briefed the Salem School Board on ongoing work to align rubric-based competency scoring with existing grade systems and Infinite Campus reporting; staff plan a fuller presentation in March and will survey parents and pilot teachers.
The Salem School Board heard an update Friday on efforts to revise high school reporting and incorporate rubric-based competency scoring alongside existing percentage grades and Infinite Campus grade calculations.
Assistant Superintendent for Academics and Support Angela Markley told the board the project team convened weekly since Jan. 3 to review feedback from 53 pilot teachers, student surveys and board questions, and to explore options available within Infinite Campus. Markley said the team plans additional revisions and surveys of the pilot teachers and parents before returning with a comprehensive presentation: "we want to know, where we will be for the fall of next school year," she said.
Superintendent Mara Palmer and school leaders described the work as an attempt to make rubric-based scoring one element of a larger, consistent reporting system that includes the district's hundred-point grades and gradebook calculations. Markley said district staff met with Infinite Campus trainers Feb. 11 to understand technical options and to identify how rubric scores could be entered and displayed for parents and students.
Board members asked for comparisons with other New Hampshire high schools and universities and requested an early mapping of which district policies would need revision if the district moves forward. Board member Patricia Corbett said she supported the inquiry but emphasized that more clarity is needed on the goals motivating any change. Peter Morgan encouraged the team to consider how non-academic evaluations work in workplaces and suggested a blended approach.
Markley said the team will continue weekly meetings after the district's February break, distribute revised proposals to the 53 pilot teachers for feedback, run a parent survey this spring on reporting expectations, continue Infinite Campus configuration work and return to the board with proposed policy edits and implementation recommendations, aiming to clarify what would be in place for fall.
The board did not take action on grading policy at the meeting; Markley indicated staff expect to bring a fuller presentation and any policy proposals in March.
Less-critical items raised during the discussion included teacher training needs and stakeholder communications; board members emphasized the need for clear, parent-facing materials if the district changes reporting.
The update followed an initial December planning session and a December 17 student survey; Markley said the district intends to preserve some traditional, parent-understandable grade markers while adding rubric-based elements for clearer feedback on competencies.
