Portland Public School Department News

The new Policy Committee of the Portland School Committee has adopted a process to tackle high schools’ weighted class rank policy.

The suspension of the policy last October caused a public outcry.  Weighted ranking was restored, with a sunset clause for the class of 2012, this year’s seventh graders.  The Policy Committee has been charged with recommending a new policy or action for weighted class rank to the Portland School Committee this spring that would affect the class of 2012 and those that follow.

The Policy Committee will collect stakeholder reports from those who are most directly affected by weighted class rank - students, guidance counselors and college admissions counselors.  Two roundtables, one for students and one for the general public,  also are expected to be scheduled this spring.  The Policy Committee will not develop any new policies on weighted class rank until enough community feedback has been collected.

“We want to get this done right, once and for all,” said Policy Chair Robert O’Brien. “We are not approaching this issue with any preconceived notions.  We want to recommend an action to the School Committee that reflects the sentiments of those who are affected by the policy.  Public input will be very important.”

No formal timeline has been announced, but a recommendation from the Policy Committee is expected later this spring.

“Although removal of the weighted grades policy has been characterized by some as abrupt,” Committee Member Susan Hopkins said, “that conversation had been going on for years on the School Committee as part of an overall look at policies that may privilege the privileged but not enhance the quality of education for all students.”

In addition to stakeholder reports, position papers will be requested from local organizations with an interest in policy issues such as the Mitchell Institute, the Southern Maine Partnership at the University of Southern Maine and the NAACP.

“This may seem like a lot of attention and effort devoted to one issue when there are so many things we could be addressing on the committee, but good policy takes time to research and debate,” said District 1 Member Rebecca Minnick. “There’s no point in rushing the process, because ultimately, you’ll end up doing it over again.”

Two alternative options practiced by other school districts in the country include listing a student’s ranking percentile (e.g., top 10th percentile, top 20th percentile, etc.) in lieu of his or her actual rank, or dropping class rank altogether.

“While some students think this issue doesn’t matter, other students think this is a big deal,” said Maureen Quinn, one of two student representatives elected to the School Committee.  “Being in the top 10 of your class can mean full-boat scholarships and getting into the most selective colleges in the country.”

The Policy Committee meets most Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. in Room 250 of Portland Arts and Technology High School, 196 Allen Avenue, Portland.  The meetings are open to the public, but public comment is prohibited until the end of the meeting.

Members of the Policy Committee include: Robert O’Brien, District 2, committee chair; Susan Hopkins, At-large; Rebecca Minnick, District 1, and Maureen Quinn, the student representative from Deering High School.  Each member’s contact information is listed on the Portland Public Schools website.