An investigation launched last week into a Denver principal’s decision to change student grades also will look at the district’s policy for when a principal can change such marks.
Denver Public Schools policies may not be so different from those in other area districts. Many are vague or don’t directly address the issue.
“Our board policy is really quite brief,” said Susana Cordova, chief of schools for DPS. “Our principal handbook is pretty silent as to whether a principal has a role.”
The question came up as Justin Twardowski, a former teacher at Collegiate Prep Academy in Montbello, publicly resigned, alleging the principal altered grades for several students from failing to a D.
DPS has said the principal made the changes under concerns that “the grades given to the students by the teacher did not accurately reflect the students’ proficiency in the course.”
In Jefferson County Public Schools, chief school effectiveness officer Terry Elliott said that although principals are the official custodians of records, they would take a similar approach.
“You can’t build the manuals for every potential situation,” Elliott said. “You tend to put time and energy where you’re having issues. I would imagine because of DPS, when we have time, we’re all probably going to take a second look at that.”
DPS has contracted Andrea Kutinsky, who has worked in education for 30 years, to investigate the policy and grade changes at an hourly cost of $180.
Cordova said that in her years as an administrator for DPS, she is not aware of principals alone changing a student’s grade.
In practice, she said, there are other ways principals handle rare cases when grades are in question, such as when a teacher leaves in the middle of the year, including giving students an incomplete grade or consulting with other teachers.
If it’s grades for an entire class that might be in question, Elliott said a team of people in Jefferson County including teachers, a counselor and administrators could be involved.
School district policies addressing the process for changing a student’s records, including grades, often suggest how parents might contest grades.
Aurora Public Schools’ policy, for instance, includes a formal application that is sent to the principal, who has final approval to make a change. The district says those records are protected and not public.
Elliott says districts have to trust principals and teachers.
“We hire teachers under a certain set of expectations, and I think we do the same thing with administrators,” Elliott said. “We have an expectation that they are capable of using sound and reasonable judgment.”
Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372, yrobles@denverpost.com or twitter.com/yeseniarobles
