Executive Director Van Fleet and Michelle Radke laid out a multi-year plan on standards-based grading at the Eau Claire Area School Board meeting, saying the shift is part of a broader Equitable Multi-Level System of Support (EMLSS) the district has built since 2021. Van Fleet said the presentation aimed to have trustees “understand the problem we are solving” and to show the district’s preparation for a measured rollout.

The presenters said the change is not a single policy tweak but a system-level redesign that aligns curriculum, assessment, instruction and reporting. Radke, who led secondary implementation planning, said the district set 2026–27 as the target implementation year for middle and high schools and has been using a staged timeline to build capacity: curriculum writing cycles, professional learning, teacher task forces and focus groups. She explained that the district has placed content areas on a seven-year review cycle, developed proficiency scales and rubrics, and convened a representative Grading and Reporting Committee in 2023 that guided the work.

Radke framed the change as a move from point‑accumulation toward demonstrating proficiency tied to essential standards and learning targets. She described several practical steps already taken: a staff-and-family belief survey in 2023 that informed policy decisions, formation of a 76-member Coalition for Change to lead building-level implementation, and an SIS evaluation that led the district to select Infinite Campus (vendor score cited as 4.41 versus 3.27 for an alternative). Radke said the district has also scheduled professional learning over 2024–27 and is using recurring PL days and teacher leaders to spread practice.

Board members and the student representative asked how the district will manage adult behavior change, GPA and college‑application implications, and transition issues for students mid‑career through the change. Van Fleet and Radke said the district will continue multi-year professional learning, maintain focus groups to refine conversion policies (letter‑grade mapping and athletic/ honor eligibility), develop a student ambassador group to help communicate with secondary students, and run parent informational sessions early in the rollout.

Radke noted that Eau Claire’s external partner‑run online school (ECBS) will continue on its partner’s grading system at present; any extension to ECBS is an additional layer that the district will consider. The presenters emphasized that standards‑based grading alone will not be enough to change student outcomes — it must be implemented alongside aligned curriculum, instructional practices and support systems.

Next steps include continued curriculum work, parent sessions on GPA and scholarship concerns in winter and spring, training on the new SIS for families in summer 2025, and continued focus‑group work before the 2026–27 implementation. The presentation closed with an invitation to ongoing questions and community engagement.