Dear Editor:

Regarding the recent article in the online Register about our grading policy at Boothbay Region High School:

We recently did change our passing grade back to a 60, where it has been for a decade, from a 70, that we set a few years ago. We did this to return our kids a level playing field with other kids from Maine and from around the country.

It doesn’t take more than a few minutes of online research to understand that a grade of 60 in high schools is the standard passing grade, nationwide. It has been this way for decades. The only reason we had any discussion about this at the School Committee was, that, briefly, during Covid, we had changed to a grade of 70 as passing. Subsequently, we have changed back to the national norm.

If our students are required to meet a different norm, they would be at a disadvantage vis-a-vis all other high schools' graduates.

Readers could do a little thought experiment; suppose we said that at BRHS we were going to set a passing grade of 80. If we did this, it would mean more failing students here. We would have more kids than is the national norm leaving school without a diploma. We would also increase the dropout rate by discouraging students -- not good for their economic prospects.

The fact is that actual academic standards are setby every teacher in every classroom, independent of what might be the rule for a diploma overall. A grade of 60, or any other arbitrary grade, is not,  repeat not, the goal of any teacher. In every classroom, teachers are looking for the best possible work by all.

As background, these days, politicians and others who are against public education are using the language of “lowered standards” sothat they can justify siphoning public money from “failing” public schools. This will only get more pronounced as the Trump administration, which is deeply anti-public education, takes office.

Meanwhile, like public high schools across the country, we have always held kids in our schools to the highest possible standards. Nothing has changed in that regard. 

 Bruce MacDonald 

Member, CSD School Committee 

Boothbay