1-4 joins A-F on hybrid report cards.

Byline: Betty Lilyestrom

LEICESTER - Memorial School will issue a new hybrid report card for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders beginning next school year.

Principal Greg Martinson said officials had felt for some time that the information on the standard letter-grade report card did not provide parents with a true picture of exactly what their children were learning.

To remedy the situation, a teacher from each of the three grades was named to a committee that spent much of the past school year studying report cards from various schools and came up with the hybrid, which it presented this week to the Leicester School Committee.

The hybrid report card will include the traditional letter grades but will place them alongside numbers from 1 to 4, ranking the students' learning skills and progress according to established standards, and enabling parents to more clearly see how their children are progressing.

The new report cards will be issued three times a year rather than the traditional four, Mr. Martinson said.

They will be issued at Memorial School next year and the school will keep in touch with parents to see if the change is accepted and if other changes should be made along the way.

In other business, the School Committee approved the establishment of a kindergarten through Grade 8 day school program at Nazareth Institute.

The approval of the local School Committee is required by the state Department of Education for day school programs conducted off town school sites.

Also approved was the high school music department's spring trip for next year. Music director Nick Narcisi said the destination for next year's trip, expected to take place from April 15 to April 18 in New York City.

Mr. Narcisi said the group expects to present concerts at the United Nations and the Statue of Liberty 

Leicester School Superintendent Paul K. Soojian reported that nearly 50 percent of those expecting to need bus service next school year have signed up, but encouraged those who have not to do so as soon as possible to avoid paying late fees.

"We need to know how many students will be using the buses so we can plan our routes for next fall," he said. "But there's one bit of good news about buses for next year. Instead of having to provide our own bus for students going to Bay Path we are going to be able to piggyback on a bus from Wachusett Regional that will be going right through Leicester Center en route to Bay Path, which will save us quite a bit of money."

This week's session was the last Leicester School Committee meeting until Sept. 14.