School Committee adopts revised competency-determination policy after heated debate over D-minus passing threshold

The Springfield School Committee voted Sept. 4 to adopt a revised competency-determination (CD) policy that aligns the district with guidance issued by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in July 2025. The draft policy expands coursework expectations and clarifies alternative ways students can demonstrate mastery.

Dr. Yolanda Johnson and assistant superintendent Terry Poe presented the draft, explaining that DESE requires districts to spell out how students will meet mastery in English language arts, math and science and to document coursework completion requirements. The presentation recommends that students earn two years of high-school English credit across grades 9–12 (rather than limiting credits to grades 9–10) and offers options to meet mastery: a course-level assessment, a capstone or portfolio, or an equivalent measure such as college-level courses, AP, dual enrollment or an independent study.

Much of the committee’s discussion focused on what the district considers "satisfactorily completing coursework." Under the district’s current grading policy, a D-minus counts as passing. Several members, including Mister Gonzales (who voted no) and other speakers, said a D-minus ‘‘sends the wrong message’’ and argued for raising the coursework standard to a C or C-minus. Supporters of adopting the DESE-aligned policy at this meeting said postponing adoption would leave the district with a lower March 2025 standard that required only English 9 and 10, and could place the district out of compliance. Staff noted that alternative demonstrations (summer school, credit recovery, capstone, portfolio or equivalent measures) remain available if the passing threshold is raised.

Dr. Johnson said the district must submit a revised CD policy to DESE by Dec. 31, 2025, and staff will continue to review the grading framework and pupil-progression plan. "There are two components to the CD: mastery and coursework," she said, adding that changes to the grading policy are a separate district-level decision that will require time, public engagement and operational scaling.

After debate and motions on the floor, the committee adopted the revised CD policy in a roll-call vote. The minutes show the motion passed with several members voting yes and at least one no; staff committed to return with additional data on how many students would be affected by any future grade-threshold changes and to coordinate subsequent revisions to the grading policy and pupil-progression plan.

The committee’s next steps include merging aligned coursework lists, establishing mastery-determination approaches with content directors, and beginning revisions to the pupil-progression plan, including consideration of civics, African-American history, Latino history, financial literacy and college- and career-readiness coursework.