SHARON SCHOOLS New study policy OK'd

The new student handbook is still being revised but may be ready for a board vote in May.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- The city school board made minor revisions to the high school independent-study program but a proposal to lower the grade-point value of the program has yet to be resolved.
That matter will be taken up when the board votes on the new student academic handbook.
How they voted: The board voted 5-1 Tuesday, with Dom Russo opposed, to enact the new independent-study policy. Pamela Corini, Richard Mancino, Nick Morocco, Linda Valentino and Lora Adams-King cast affirmative votes.
"I'm not convinced it's what we want," Russo said.
The board was also scheduled to vote on the new academic handbook but that motion was pulled from the agenda at the last minute.
The book is still being fine-tuned, said Superintendent Richard Rossi, suggesting it might be ready for board approval in May.
It is his suggestion that the grade-point level for independent study be reduced from 5 to 4 while the credit for the course remains at one-quarter credit.
Parents' complaints: That has prompted some complaints from parents who feel that independent study should have the same course value (5) and credit value (one-half) as Sharon's Encore program for gifted students.
Parents have argued at recent meetings that the change proposed by Rossi would be unfair to students who aren't in the gifted program but who want to take independent study to improve their grade-point average.
Rossi said it is his plan to also reduce the Encore grade-point value to 4, leaving only the eight advanced-placement courses offered at Sharon High School with a grade-point value of 5.
Reducing everything else to a 4 will level the playing field, Rossi said.
Only students ranked as gifted, based on IQ, can participate in Encore and some students have been able to manipulate the system by taking both Encore and independent study, giving them an unfair advantage when it comes to determining class rank, he said.
Also on agenda: In other business, the board accepted the resignation of high school academic principal Joyce Grimenstein who is retiring effective Aug. 18. The board named Sheila Schneider, who had been performing those duties on an acting basis, to fill that post effective Aug. 19.
The board also named Traci Valentino as an assistant elementary principal effective Aug. 19. She has also been performing these duties on an acting basis.
Salaries for the two positions were not immediately available.