Board declines proposed MCA-linked change to academic lettering after heated debate

The board considered a proposed amendment to policy 5.99 that would add minimum state assessment (MCA) achievement as a condition for academic lettering for upcoming classes.

High school administrators said the change is intended to produce more accurate comparative data and incentivize broader test participation. "Forty percent of our juniors opted out of the math and 20 percent of our sophomores opted out of tenth grade reading and tenth grade science," an administrator said, arguing that high opt-out rates make the MCA an unreliable single measure of school performance.

Board members and parents raised concerns that the proposed policy could effectively penalize students whose families exercise parental opt-out rights or whose disabilities require accommodations. Several board members urged exploring multi-factor recognition criteria — combining GPA, attendance, teacher/principal recommendation and test scores — before tying lettering to a single standardized test. One board member described the proposal as feeling like a "punishment" for students whose families decline testing.

After debate, the board held a roll-call vote on the proposed change to policy 5.99. The recorded vote was Thompson No; Arcand Aye; Beloyed No; Allison No; Scar No; Scribe Oji Aye. The motion did not pass.

Administrators said they will continue work on strategies to increase reliable participation in assessments and to explore alternative, multi-factor recognition frameworks for future consideration.