Board approves revised grading handbook; members press for clarity as MTSS data show mixed intervention results

During its May 13 meeting the Montgomery County Board of Education approved an updated Grading Procedure (GPR) handbook as part of the consent agenda. The revisions modify multiple provisions, including a clarified definition of mastery, timelines for accepting transferred grades and changes to late-work guidance.

GPR lead presenter Miss Hatch summarized the committee process and key edits. “The committee is made up of approximately 35 people,” Hatch said, and the panel included central-office staff, principals and teachers from elementary, middle and high schools. On assessment she told the board the committee added a numeric threshold for mastery: “Non mastery is a 59 and below and mastery is a 60 and above.”

Other board-approved changes in the draft handbook include guidance on the ratio of major to minor grades, a three-day window for students to submit work upon return from an absence (or a number of days equal to the number of consecutive absences, whichever is greater), a reduction of the late-work grace period from 10 days to three days before teachers may deduct points, a 10‑calendar‑day expectation to record grades transferred into the district, and new language to support IB and dual-enrollment processes.

Board members raised several concerns during the discussion about how the policy will apply to students with individualized plans and to teachers who may be less familiar with state standards. One board member asked whether the handbook’s sentence stating that "assignments completed by students below grade level cannot be used as part of the grade" includes students protected by 504 plans, individualized education programs and English‑learner accommodations; Hatch said exceptions tied to IEPs/504 plans will be addressed through existing individualized plans.

The board also questioned how the policy would be implemented in classrooms staffed with emergency‑certified teachers and whether teachers will publish grading expectations for families. Hatch and other staff said syllabi and class expectations are expected at the start of the year, particularly in secondary classrooms.

During the same meeting the district’s MTSS and data-analysis team presented progress metrics and grade-recovery figures. Doctor King (MTSS lead) described the three-tier MTSS model and warned that “the more you take students away from core instruction, the further they get behind,” emphasizing the need to balance intervention with continued exposure to standards‑based classroom instruction.

King reported the district tracked 1,067 elementary students (grades 1–5) who had at least one failing grade in quarter 1; after targeted MTSS interventions the same group showed a 26% improvement (roughly 278 students) in the point‑in‑time comparison dated March 2, 2025. Secondary figures were larger and more mixed: the district tracked 2,640 secondary students with at least one F in core subjects in early December; by late March secondary case counts had risen in some cohorts, prompting staff to recommend stronger fidelity in intervention delivery and additional instructional coaching.

King described usage and outcomes for Schools PLP, the district’s online grade‑recovery and virtual‑instruction platform. As of Feb. 28, 2025, he said, 1,897 students were enrolled in Schools PLP; about 1,585 were in virtual instruction (staffed by a certified online teacher), with 672 passing and 910 failing (57.4% failing at that snapshot). For grade recovery specifically, 308 students were enrolled and 62.3% (92 students of that snapshot) were failing as of the same date; King and board members attributed part of the failing rate to incomplete coursework and to training gaps for facilitators.

Board members asked whether every school has access to Schools PLP, whether facilitators are present in virtual classrooms to support students, and whether facilitators and teachers will receive further training. King said all schools received enrollment forms and that additional training sessions were scheduled, with more trainer dates planned for late May, July and August to expand staff capacity.

Both the GPR changes and the MTSS updates will move forward under the adopted policies; staff said they will consult with the Alabama State Department of Education on policy constraints and complete follow-up work to address board concerns about consistency of implementation and communications to families.