Winslow Unified School District (WUSD) Governing Board has adopted a new grading system centered around the concept of subject mastery. The system aims to provide a fair and transparent evaluation of students’ performance and understanding of course content. Under this new approach, each subject grade will be based on a teacher-established standard for average achievement in the course. If teachers have doubts about the appropriateness of the set standard, they are encouraged to consult with the principal for guidance.
The grading system will be uniform across all classes and will be measured numerically, with corresponding letter equivalents. To ensure clarity, students will receive detailed explanations of the grading criteria, including the weightage given to different aspects of the material. The system emphasizes the importance of consistency within each class throughout the academic year, enabling students and parents to better understand the expectations and progress. Notably, grades will be solely based on content mastery, while behavior-related factors will be evaluated separately to provide a more accurate representation of students’ academic abilities.
The new grading system uses a 0-4 scale to assess students’ subject mastery. A grade of 4 (95% to 100%) indicates exceptional understanding and independent application of course concepts, achieved by only a few students. A grade of 3 (86% to 94%) represents proficient mastery, demonstrating solid understanding and independent application of grade-level skills. A grade of 2 (60% to 74%) signifies progress toward mastery but not yet meeting grade-level proficiency, requiring additional support. A grade of 1 (20% to 59%) suggests minimal mastery, needing intervention and support for improvement. Finally, a grade of 0 (0% to 19%) shows no evidence of understanding and requires immediate intervention to address weaknesses. This system aims to provide a clearer picture of students’ academic progress and aid targeted support for their success. concepts. This grade indicates a significant struggle in the subject matter, and immediate intervention and support are essential to help the student catch up.
During the meeting the board also heard a presentation from Sal Hernandez, the Winslow High School principal and Travis Dooley, a Winslow Junior High School (WJHS) administrator about a recent professional learning community (PLC) training they attended in Las Vegas, Nev. PLC trainings are collaborative trainings all WUSD schools hold regularly where they figure out which teachers are having the most success in their classrooms and then speak to them about what they are doing differently to achieve that success in other classrooms. This allows teachers to find what works and share it with their colleagues to achieve the highest amount of student success and the training in Las Vegas was to teach administrators how to best have these meetings.
Hernandez said that the most interesting things that they were taught were how to keep students engaged and involved after they have mastered a subject while the rest of the class is still figuring it out. Dooley and Hernandez both expressed things in their own PLC meetings that they needed to work on said the training opened their eyes to some of those inefficiencies.
One other thing of note was when Board Member Allen Leonard, during a conversation about the newly hired coaches, asked if they were receiving CPR and AED training. It is a requirement for the Arizona Interscholastic Association that coaches have that preparedness, but it is not required for the coaches of WJHS who are in a more localized league for their sports.
Leonard said, “I don’t see why it would be a big deal to have them all go [to the training meeting] so we all know they have the same discussions and outlook whether they are required to or not.” This sentiment was echoed by both President Debbie Martinez and Vice President Joseph Hartnett. Hartnett added, “In the medical field, I think that is important, early access to care.” The board directed Debra Lopez the WJHS principal to invite the coaches to the high school coaches’ training to be the most prepared in case of a tragedy.
In other business the board:
* Approved ratification list and the minutes from July 12.
* Approved the hiring of Teri Bumgarner, substitute; Atalaya Lucero, emergency substitute; Tina Luther, bus aide; Taneill Charley, paraprofessional; Arianna Hijoe, paraprofessional and Kelci Valdez, paraprofessional.
* Approved the resignations of Janie Sorrelhorse, kindergarten teacher and Jocelyn Andrews, paraprofessional.
* Approved extra pay for the following: Josue Barrios, girls soccer coach; Andrew McDonald, boys soccer coach; Mark Faust, football coach; Michael Mendoza, football coach; Alisha Echoles, seventh grade softball coach; Brian Wilcox, eighth grade softball coach.
* Approved out of state travel for Sam Setalla, which is funded through the American Rescue Plan grant.
* Approved $60,000 for use of Strategic Alliance for Volume Expenditures for student services, therapy, assessment and staffing.
* Approved early release schedule for all schools.
* Approved a memorandum of agreement with Winslow Indian Health Care Center, Inc. for school health promotion and disease prevention services.
The next meeting of the WUSD school board will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16 (or Aug. 2 if the board needs to approve last-minute hires), in the meeting room, located at 800 N. Apache Ave.
