Novi committee outlines grading overhaul for grades 7–12, starting August 2025

The Grade Leadership Team presented an overview of proposed grading reforms for grades 7–12, saying the work aligns with Board Policy 5418 and aims to ensure grades reflect academic mastery rather than behavior. The leadership team named in the presentation included Mike Giromini (Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning), Emily Pohlonski (Director of Secondary Education), principals and instructional coaches.

"The Superintendent or designee will develop and implement student grading guidelines to be used by teachers. The objective of grades is to quantify and report each student’s academic achievement," the presenter read from Board Policy 5418. The team said grading principles should be consistent, accurate, clear and timely and emphasized that grades should "reflect mastery of content and skills, not behaviors."

The proposal described a district NCSD 4-point scoring system in which every score entered in a gradebook is 4, 3, 2, 1 or 0; the proposed final-grade cutoffs were A = 3.5+, B = 2.5+, C = 1.5+, D = 1.0+. Other proposed rules include requiring rubrics for all tasks, providing reassessment opportunities on summative assessments, prohibiting extra credit that affects grades, and disallowing rounding or curving. The leadership team indicated that at least 90% of a grade should come from summative assessments.

Implementation steps and stakeholder engagement were outlined: district shifts beginning August 2025 for 7–12, a high-school transition in 2026–27, teacher professional development, parent and student focus groups, and PLC-level decisions about gradebook options (district 4-point or NHS 100-point traditional scale). The committee received the overview; staff did not record a vote.