Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

High school adopts new GPA stance

BY VALERIE TUCKER, Correspondent

FARMINGTON -- Mt. Blue High School's class of 2011 will be the first to reflect a four-year-old policy change in the district's graduation requirement regarding grade-point averages.

In 2007, the district started to require a four-year grade-point average of at least 70 to receive a diploma, even though 60 can be a passing grade in an individual class.

Students can offset their poor grades with higher grades in other classes to raise their final average.

On Tuesday night, Superintendent Michael Cormier suggested the graduation and grading system should reflect a high academic standard, even if a student might have to take classes for five years to get a diploma.

"I have a problem saying to the community, or saying to an employer, that we will give you a high school diploma when your average work for four years is not satisfactory," he said. "I don't have a philosophical problem with the mid-60s (grades) because some children struggle with content area. I don't like this rigidity of saying if you don't have a 70, you don't get the credit."

According to guidance department director Ben Milster, students have many support options when they fall below a passing grade, and they are told when they are in danger of not meeting the cumulative GPA requirement.

"By the time they get to senior year, we have very few students who are in danger of not graduating," he said.

Students can repeat a class, attend after-school support programs, take a summer school program, or attend school-year learning labs.

Board member Helen Wilkey asked why students couldn't be required to attend these academic support programs.

"I guess I'm naive. I thought that interventions were a mandatory thing, but it sounds to me like they're just available," she said. "There are consequences if students are tardy or a discipline problem, so why aren't there consequences for academic issues?"

The district, Milster said, can not mandate student attendance in academic support programs. He and Poulin suggested students may have a rocky freshman year, but grades usually improve as students mature and set goals closer to graduation.

"Kids and parents are key to this," Poulin said. "It's not for lack of us not trying. We are on the phone all the time with parents when students don't show up."

Students from Vienna and eight other communities attend Mt. Blue High School.