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Parents urge Issaquah board to align grading scale with neighbors and expand arts, AI instruction
Summary
During public comment the board heard multiple requests to lower the A cutoff from 93 to 90 to match neighboring districts, concerns about inconsistent teacher rubrics, a call to expand arts instruction to comply with RCW 28A.230.305, and an appeal to introduce generative AI into district curriculum.
Several public commenters used the board’s public‑comment period on March 11 to press district leaders on grading policy, arts education and generative AI.
A series of parents urged the board to align Issaquah School District grading cutoffs with neighboring districts such as Lake Washington and Bellevue, arguing a 93 cutoff for an A disadvantages ISD students for competitive college admissions. One commenter, introduced by the chair as Sibikanth, said lowering the A threshold “from 93 to 90 would not dilute academic rigor” and asked the board to implement any change by the 2026–27 school year rather than delay.
Multiple commenters echoed that request and also raised an internal consistency concern: some speakers reported teachers using different rubrics for the same course, which they said unfairly affects GPA. Speakers asked the board to consider parent and student surveys to quantify how many families want a scale change and to identify supports for students already close to college admission timelines.
On arts instruction, Samantha Baraya, an art teacher at Maywood, cited RCW 28A.230.305 and said volunteer art docent programs and biweekly music do not satisfy the statute’s expanded definition of basic education requiring certificated teachers for visual and performing arts instruction; she urged the district to take steps in master scheduling and FTE allocation so elementary students have lawful access to arts instruction.
A separate commenter recommended the district consider introducing generative AI instruction so students can practice critical thinking and problem‑solving with new tools.
The board thanked commenters and invited staff to consider the requests and provide background; no board action on grading policy was taken that night.
