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Board pauses plan to remove numeric percentages from middle‑school gradebook, will seek more parent input
Summary
After parent concern and board questions, administrators agreed to gather additional family input and return with clearer examples before acting on a proposal that would shift middle‑school reporting from percentages to competency levels.
Board members paused action on a proposed change to middle‑school grading that would remove numeric percentages in the Alma gradebook and report competency levels instead.
Melissa Lyons raised concerns that removing percentages could "be a huge problem" and that parents and students use numeric scores as motivation. "I think removing the percentages is a huge problem," Lyons said, noting she expected parents would be upset.
Administrators including Superintendent Esther Rasbell and SAU staff defended the competency model as a way to focus on learning and cited years of preparatory work in the middle school. Rasbell said the district would move the gateway and competency work into advisory time to provide equitable access and that communication and concrete examples for families are needed.
Jill (SAU staff) said the middle school has aligned competencies and performance indicators and proposed improving communications and providing sample translations between competency marks and familiar percentages (for example, showing what a 'meeting' level corresponds to numerically).
The board asked staff to gather broader parent input, prepare clearer examples and return with recommendations in August or September. Administrators noted they had received about a dozen emails and public feedback and agreed further outreach was warranted; no final policy change was approved at the meeting.
