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Preston BOE votes to restore traditional middle-school grades, adopts four policies
Summary
The Preston School District Board unanimously approved a return to traditional grading for Preston Plains Middle School with subject-area standards noted on the report card and authorized training for staff and families; the board also adopted four policies at second reading and set implementation for Fall 2025.
The Preston School District Board of Education voted unanimously on June 9 to establish a traditionally graded report card for Preston Plains Middle School, with teachers displaying subject-area standards alongside grades and district-led training for staff and families.
Courtney Ennis, who presented the Communication Committee's findings, said the committee’s work — drawing on surveys, parent forums and focus groups — led it to recommend traditional grading. "The final recommendation is to recommend traditional grading with standards at the middle school," Ennis said during the presentation. Superintendent Roy Seitsinger told the board the administration and teachers will finalize the report card's design.
The move came after several parents and staff raised concerns that the district’s prior standards-based reporting practices produced inconsistent signals for families and did not clearly prepare students for high school. Multiple public commenters described variation across classrooms in how skills were translated into standards-based scores.
The motion to establish the traditional report card was made by Nicole Serra and seconded by Deborah Burke-Grabarek; the vote was unanimous. The board directed that training and the new report card layout be implemented in Fall 2025.
At the same meeting the board adopted four policies at second reading: - Policy 6154, Homework Instruction (moved by Nicole Serra; seconded by Megan Gallant; unanimous approval) - Policy 4211, Recruitment and Selection (moved by Courtney Ennis; seconded by Cindy Luty; unanimous approval) - Policy 4000.1, Sexual Harassment/Title IX (moved by Courtney Ennis; seconded by Nicole Serra; unanimous approval) - Policy 3152, Spending Public Funds for Advocacy (moved by Nicole Serra; seconded by Megan Gallant; unanimous approval)
Superintendent Seitsinger emphasized the district used a comprehensive process that included staff and student voices before bringing a single recommendation to the board. "We gathered information through surveys, focus groups, and student voices," Seitsinger said, noting the board supported the Communication Committee’s recommendation while keeping final design decisions with teachers and administration.
Next steps: the administration will develop training materials for faculty and an informational rollout for parents before the Fall 2025 implementation.
