Proposed revisions to Policy IKA, Grading and Reporting, for the Montgomery County Public Schools have been tentatively adopted for community comment by the Board of Education. Interested individuals or groups are encouraged to submit comments about the policy to the Board during the public comment period ending March 18, 2003.

To facilitate an understanding of the proposed revisions, additional information is being provided. This includes a series of “frequently asked questions” about grading and reporting, an operational framework describing the differences between current practice and the proposed changes, and definitions of relevant words and phrases. The entire package of information is available on the Montgomery County Public Schools web site at the first link below. A second link to a press announcement about the policy also is provided.

Extensive discussion and committee work have been conducted about the need to revise Policy IKA, Grading and Reporting. This work has focused on aligning the policy with improvements under way in the school system regarding the curriculum, instructional practices, and student assessment. New mandates from national, state, and local initiatives also have influenced the revisions.

The revised policy is designed to maintain the Board of Education’s commitment to rigorous performance and achievement standards for all students. At the same time, the revised policy is intended to provide a fair process for evaluating and reporting student progress that is understandable to students and their parents and relevant for instructional purposes.

Public responses to the revised policy should be in writing and sent by March 18, 2003, to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850. All responses will be shared with the Board of Education.