Board of Education President Marguerite O’Connor recommended to the administration and her fellow trustees that the passing grade for middle school and high school classroom tests be increased from 65 to 70 to better equip students for the higher standards that the state assessments demand. “We will ask the children to work harder, and it will improve our achievement,” said O’Connor. “Our children have the ability.”

The elementary schools already require a grade of 70 to pass an exam, and many residents who spoke during the public-comment session agreed that the change would benefit middle- and high-school students.