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Superintendent Brady-Shanley extends contract, shares goals

FALLS VILLAGE – The Region One Board of Education voted unanimously on June 18 to approve a one-year contract extension for Region One Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley. The contract, which previously ended in 2028, will now run through June 2029 with a 3.5% salary increase for the 2026–27 school year. Brady-Shanley said she has two primary projects on her agenda for next year.

The first is the widely discussed region-wide organizational study, which all six Region One towns and Housatonic Valley Regional High School have opted into. The study will examine a wide range of data, such as declining enrollment in several smaller schools throughout the region and rising operational costs. It will run from September 2026 to May 2027, with findings presented in June 2027. Region One Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley and Business Manager Sam Herrick will conduct the study themselves.

The second goal, Brady-Shanley said, is reevaluating grading practices beginning with a committee appointed to analyze the “mastery-based learning” system implemented during the 2017-18 school year under then-superintendent Pam Vogel.

The current grading system is based on the research of educational expert Thomas Guskey. Instead of grading students on formative work, such as homework and classroom participation, they are assessed on summative assessments like tests, quizzes and written assignments.

Student achievement, or mastery of a subject or concept, is measured on a scale using A, B, C or NYP – which stands for not yet proficient. An A signifies advanced proficiency, a B signifies secure proficiency, a C signifies basic proficiency, and an NYP signifies that the student has not yet reached proficiency.

Students are allowed to make up work or retake tests in order to demonstrate proficiency, called “reassessments”.

The grading system was controversial from the start. Students, parents and teachers felt they had not been given sufficient explanation of the new system nor enough time to adapt.

Brady-Shanley said that one of the first things she was asked when she took over as superintendent during the 2024-25 school year was if the grading practices would be evaluated.

She said, “The committee has done the research, so it’s time to put pen to paper.”

Patrick L. Sullivan
schools

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