HODGDON, Maine — Parental concerns over the manner in which freshmen students received report cards this past year has prompted the SAD 70 board to alter the way the district does its grading system.
This past school year, Hodgdon High School implemented a proficiency-based report card for the freshmen class (Class of 2018), instead of the traditional numerical grading system. The move is part of the district’s ongoing effort to transition to a proficiency-based education, which all schools in Maine are required to do by 2020.
Most other school districts have slowly been transitioning to this style of grading, which instead of giving numerical scores of 0-100, which is translated into grades of A to F. The new system gives a grade on a 1-4 system. A rank of 4 means the student exceeds proficiency, while a 3 means the child met proficiency standards
The move stems from a 2012 law passed by the Maine Legislature, which required Maine schools to transition to a system where students would graduate based on their demonstration of proficiency in meeting standards.
By an 8-4 vote July 13, the SAD 70 board elected to revert back to traditional grading practices and use the next three years to further develop the district’s proficiency-based system to ensure it is ready to implemented when required by the state.
Students in grades pre-kindergarten to second grade receive a proficiency-based report card, but unlike other school districts that have implemented this style of grading at the elementary level, SAD 70 does traditional grading for those in grades 3-12.
Superintendent Scott Richardson said the district tried phasing in proficiency-based report cards this past school year with the freshmen class. The decision did not sit well with parents or students, who petitioned the school board to go back to the old method of grading or come up with a dual-grading system that incorporates both.
Parents and students cited concerns over inconsistencies with proficiency-based reporting,
“Our students deserve distinction,” the petition stated. “Honor roll, inclusion in the honors banquet, honor parts are motivators for excellence. PB reporting alone promotes mediocrity.”
The petition also stated until all colleges; continuing education entities; and scholarship granting organizations accept proficiency-based transcripts, a dual grading system must be implemented.
“(Proficiency-based) education does not provide quality feedback on a daily basis for parents or students to monitor progress,” the petition stated.
Richardson said he has met with parents and it was decided to go back and add a numerical grade to the report cards for the freshmen class, based on using a conversion scale. Neighboring RSU 29 uses a similar conversion formula to come up with a dual grading system for its students.
“The parents did not feel that (conversion formula) was a true dual grading system,” Richards said.
Instead of slowly transitioning to the new system, SAD 70 will now revert to traditional numerical grades until the state directs the district to change all of its grading systems in 2020.
According to the Maine Department of Education, proficiency-based education refers to any system of academic instruction, assessment, grading and reporting that is based on students demonstrating mastery of the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn before they progress to the next lesson, get promoted to the next grade level or receive a diploma.
“In Maine, academic expectations and ‘proficiency’ definitions for public-school courses, learning experiences, content areas and grade levels are outlined in the Maine Learning Results which includes the Guiding Principles, expectations for cross-disciplinary skills and life-long learning, and eight sets of content-area standards, including the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics.
“The general goal of proficiency-based education is to ensure that students acquire the knowledge and skills that are deemed to be essential to success in school, higher education, careers and adult life. If students struggle to meet minimum expected standards, they receive additional instruction, practice time and academic support to help them achieve proficiency, but they do not progress in their education until expected standards are met.”
“Next year, students will get a traditional rank card,” Richardson said. “However, we as a district have to continue our work to becoming a proficiency-based district.”
