Lisbon School Committee approves weighted grades for honors and AP courses after debate over PowerSchool accuracy
June 08, 2026 | Lisbon Falls, Androscoggin County, Maine
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The Lisbon School Committee voted June 8 to adopt weighted grades for honors and Advanced Placement courses starting in the 2026–27 school year, after a lengthy discussion about technical implementation and data accuracy.
The motion to adopt weighted grading passed on a first vote 4–1. Committee members later voted unanimously, 5–0, to set the weights at 1.15 for AP courses and 1.10 for honors courses.
In discussion leading up to the vote, several members said they supported the principle but urged caution about rollout and testing. A committee member warned, “Trust but verify,” saying the district must ensure grade-book calculations are correct before parents and colleges rely on them. Another member, Chris, said his school uses weighted grades and that “1.2 is ringing in my head for AP,” describing the range other districts use while acknowledging variation across systems.
Administration described how weighted percentages are configured behind the scenes and who has the ability to change them. School staff explained that district administrators (Julie and James) establish the background category weights and that teachers place assignments into categories; the administration emphasized those background percentages are locked in and that any changes to a final grade would require prior administrative approval.
Members repeatedly pressed for training and verification steps. One member said the committee should ensure “checks and balances beyond just parents” to catch errors that can affect students’ class rankings and scholarship eligibility. Administration committed to thorough testing before implementation and to provide training and support for staff using PowerSchool.
The committee’s action directs the administration to proceed with implementation for 2026–27 with the specified weights. The administration will be responsible for testing the configuration and communicating changes in the school profile for colleges and external readers.
The committee moved on with routine business after the votes; no additional amendments to the weighted-grades motion were recorded.
The motion to adopt weighted grading passed on a first vote 4–1. Committee members later voted unanimously, 5–0, to set the weights at 1.15 for AP courses and 1.10 for honors courses.
In discussion leading up to the vote, several members said they supported the principle but urged caution about rollout and testing. A committee member warned, “Trust but verify,” saying the district must ensure grade-book calculations are correct before parents and colleges rely on them. Another member, Chris, said his school uses weighted grades and that “1.2 is ringing in my head for AP,” describing the range other districts use while acknowledging variation across systems.
Administration described how weighted percentages are configured behind the scenes and who has the ability to change them. School staff explained that district administrators (Julie and James) establish the background category weights and that teachers place assignments into categories; the administration emphasized those background percentages are locked in and that any changes to a final grade would require prior administrative approval.
Members repeatedly pressed for training and verification steps. One member said the committee should ensure “checks and balances beyond just parents” to catch errors that can affect students’ class rankings and scholarship eligibility. Administration committed to thorough testing before implementation and to provide training and support for staff using PowerSchool.
The committee’s action directs the administration to proceed with implementation for 2026–27 with the specified weights. The administration will be responsible for testing the configuration and communicating changes in the school profile for colleges and external readers.
The committee moved on with routine business after the votes; no additional amendments to the weighted-grades motion were recorded.
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