BY SHANNON MCLAUGHLIN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
DEMAREST––A group of parents voiced their concerns at a recent board of education meeting as a result of halted transcript changes that were previously set to take place.
Concerns at the Northern Valley Regional High School’s July 24 board meeting followed a letter addressed to families from then-Superintendent Geoff Gordon. Dated June 21, Gordon told families that beginning with the 2016-2017 school year and going forward, classes with enriched designations would be noted on transcripts.
College Prep (CP) and College Prep Enriched (CPE) course levels, Gordon explained, meet the same standards and are only differentiated by pace and depth. CP and CPE classes were not previously distinguishable on students’ transcripts, but that was set to change.
The plans outlined in Gordon’s letter came to a stop after a lawsuit was filed against the district on July 18. Board President Joseph Argenziano explained at the meeting that because of the federal lawsuit, the board was advised not to retroactively change transcripts from the 2016-2017 school year. The decision not to distinguish enrichment in 2016-2017 transcripts, as well as overall confusion surrounding these course levels, was the crux of concerns at the meeting.
One Haworth parent brought to the attention of the board how the lack of retroactive transcript changes could affect her family financially as they prepare to pay for college. Since her daughter’s freshman year, she said, they have been told the importance of academic rigor. Thus, her daughter took CPE classes; however, the rigor in CPE classes is not reflected in transcripts and she said if her daughter took CP classes, her GPA might be higher, thus making her more appealing to colleges.
“We’re looking at merit money with different schools … and I want to go [to the schools] with a transcript that’s accurate that says my daughter took CPE and there is difference between CP and CPE,” she said. “I just want the transcript to be correct … and now you’re telling me that’s not going to happen, so that’s going to effect us financially, and that’s a problem,” she said.
A Norwood parent also voiced her concerns at the meeting, and said her daughter was “misguided” at her eighth grade meeting and advised that CP and CPE course levels were the same.
The parent said she was told that only variations between CP and CPE courses were the amount of times per week they met and that one level is collaborative. She said her daughter chose an academic path based off the information received at that meeting. Now her daughter is going to be a junior, and finally discovering that a differentiation between CP and CPE exists.
Another question was raised as to why the board only considered changing transcripts for the 2016-2017 school year and not years prior, so student transcripts could reflect CPE enrichment since freshman year.
According to the board president, changing transcripts for years before 2016-2017 is a “slippery slope” because it would’ve modified transcripts of students who have already graduated.
“Even if you’re modifying it for the better or for worse, kids got into or didn’t get into colleges based on certain transcripts and to [change transcripts from freshman year] would’ve impacted the transcripts of students that have already graduated and gotten into colleges,” Argenziano said. “Once kids graduated and got in or didn’t get in [certain colleges], our legal advice was it’s a really dangerous situation to change transcripts of kids who have left the school.”
Although the board cannot make retroactive changes until the pending litigation is resolved, they did approve prospective course title changes for the 2017-2018 school year.
Argenziano said oral arguments over the relevant litigation were set to be heard on Aug. 23, and the court is aware of the timeliness of this issue, so he is hopeful for a quick decision.