Bayonne public schools lower passing grade for all courses to 65

LAUREN CASSELBERRYBayonne public school officials have decided to lower the passing grade in all classes from 70 to 65 as part of a three-year pilot program.  Pictured is Washington Community School in Bayonne. 

BAYONNE — Passing class is about to become just a tad easier for all of Bayonne’s approximately 9,600 public school students. 

After several months of preparation and discussion, Bayonne public school officials have decided to lower the passing grade in all classes from 70 to 65 as part of a three-year pilot program. 

The reason: success leads to more success, according to Bayonne school honchos. 

“We have very high expectations and standards for each one of our students,” Superintendent of Schools Patricia L. McGeehan said in a statement last week about the change. “ However, we must be sensitive to the unique challenges they face and provide strategies and interventions that help students achieve their goals.” 

The final decision to lower the passing grade was made at a July 25 Board of Education meeting, said Rosalie Moran, district director of Title 1/Curriculum Team. 

Moran said a committee examined effective grading practices and looked at what other districts were doing as part of the study that led to this change. 

The committee found that an effective grading policy should minimize failure and reward the positive efforts of students, Moran said. 

“Success leads to more success,” said Moran, adding this grading policy change will make students more competitive with students in other districts. 

Moran did not provide specific information about the current failure rate of students.  She said the study found that neighboring districts, including Weehawken, Secaucus, and North Bergen, use 65 as the passing grade for students. 

Some affluent school districts, such as Millburn, Livingston, and Summit, use 60 as the benchmark, she said. 

New Jersey does not have a uniform measure for a passing grade and allows local districts to set their own grading standards, said Moran. 

McGeehan said the “program will be carefully scrutinized to ensure that it is valid, reliable, and serves the needs of our entire student population.” 

Representatives of the Bayonne Teachers Association did not return phone calls to comment. 

Parents registering their children for school last week applauded the change. 

“All ‘A’ kids are going to get ‘A’s’ regardless of where the ‘F’ is,” said Angel Cora, 31, who has a 12-year-old son in elementary school. “ For kids that aren’t doing so well in school it’s a motivator.” 

Brenda Borrero, 37, who has a 5-year old daughter and 14-year-old son in the district, said too much value is placed on the numerical grading system, causing poor performing students to drop out because they don’t feel smart enough. 

“If the kids are trying it’s not fair that they can’t meet a number standard,” she said.