At its most recent public meeting, Haddonfield’s board of education gave its final consent to altering the grading system at the middle school and high school levels from the current seven-point scale to a 10-point system.
During the June 11 virtual session, the move, which had been discussed for the past several months, was unanimously approved and is set to take effect at the start of next school year.
Beginning in sixth grade at Haddonfield Middle School and extending through 12th grade at Haddonfield Memorial High School, students will be graded on a numerical and letter scale from 60 to 100, with any number below 60 considered failing. As such, 60 to 69 will be D’s, 70 to 79 will be C’s, 80 to 89 will be B’s and 90 to 100 will be A grades.
“We’ve made it official, that starting next year, in middle and high school, we’ll be using a 10-point system. So, our high school and middle school administrators and counselors are all aware, we’ll be starting the process to get that into handbooks,” said Superintendent Larry Mussoline.
“For anybody graduating, it will be a bit of a phase-in; for middle-school children, it’s just a new system. It’s a huge thing that you did. I think it was the best thing for our students.”
Under the old policy, students from grades six through 12 were evaluated on a numerical and letter scale, from 70 to 100. From lowest to highest, scores of 70 to 77 were D’s, scores from 78 to 84 were C level, from 85 to 92 were B’s and 93 to 100 were A level. Any grade under 70 was considered failing.
The project team behind the policy investigation featured Board President Adam Sangillo; board members Jaime Auletto Grookett and Lynn Howard Hoag; and HMHS faculty members Courtney Baker, Mike Busarello, Steve Fluharty, Jeff Holman, Kevin Kozak, Danielle McKelvey and Corinne Welsh.
Also providing input were students Emma Barson, Abigail Frey, Linus Kucer and Sullivan Norton; members of district administration, including incoming Superintendent Chuck Klaus, Chief Academic Officer Colleen Murray, HMHS Principal Tammy McHale, Haddonfield Middle School Principal Tracy Matozzo, incoming Assistant Superintendent Gino Priolo and John Miller, director of technology for the district. Members of the Haddonfield community, including former board member Glenn Moramarco and former Inquirer reporter Monica Yant-Kinney, were also involved in the process.
Sangillo added that counselors at both schools will be proactive in getting students acclimated to the change as quickly as possible.
In stark contrast to the issue of altering the weight given to AP courses as well as the switch from a valedictorian/salutatorian graduation honor system to a college-based cum laude ranking, which resulted in a contentious board meeting in late January, no members of the public voiced their opposition to the grading system change during the June 11 public session.
A power-point presentation given at the BOE’s May 21 work session, regarding the research and methodology behind the now-approved change in grading policy, can be found at: https://haddonfieldschools.org/announcements-and-news-releases/.
Klaus, who will assume the superintendent role on July 1, thanked Mussoline for his dedication to the issue at hand as well as to the district since his arrival from Chester County, Pennsylvania, in June, 2018. Mussoline’s tenure as district leader officially concludes at the end of June.
Sangillo added that the district and the community “has been extraordinarily well-served” by Mussoline’s leadership, a sentiment echoed by the remaining board members.
“I want to thank all of you. I wish Chuck and Gino the best of luck, as well as the entire team. It’s a great district, a wonderful place to live and learn, and I am grateful to be a small part of its history. Thanks to the board and thanks to the community for putting up with me. It was no small task at times,” Mussoline said.
“Changing a whole educational system is nothing to sneeze at,” Mussoline added. I’m looking forward to gauging the progress to see how we did. I wish you all the very best.”
In other news:
- The board announced approvals by the Camden County Superintendent of a three-year contract for Klaus and a one-year contract for Assistant Superintendent Priolo, both effective July 1.
- The nine-member body also approved the elevation of Dr. Carmen Henderson to director of Special Education, taking over for Priolo. The move is effective July 1 and Henderson’s salary will be $135,000. The board also signed off on submitting a contract to name Brian Falkowski interim business administrator from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, for a $600 per diem.
- Sangillo mentioned that the long-awaited land swap between the BOE and the borough, which was close to being completed earlier this year, is being held up due to the borough waiting on an easement for Lullworth Hall.
