Mineola eighth graders won't be required to use controversial learning program after backlash, district says
Eighth graders at Mineola High School will no longer be required to participate in a controversial learning program, school officials announced this week. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
Mineola eighth graders will no longer be required to participate in a controversial program developed by a company founded by the district superintendent and his son, and the digital platform is suspended, school officials said this week.
The program, known as the Build Your Own Grade Learning Management System, is branded as a “competency-based learning” and grading system that aims to empower students to take ownership of their learning. It was developed by Quave, a company district Superintendent Michael Nagler and his son James Nagler, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, created together, according to the company’s website.
Quave has described the program as “revolutionary,” a sentiment echoed by Michael Nagler when he spoke in promotional videos the district released in September.
“We're moving into new territory for public education,” the superintendent said.
Many parents, especially those with children in the eighth grade at Mineola High School, where the program was implemented in September, disagreed.
They said the program left children feeling “undervalued” and “unsupported” because much of their instruction in core subjects consisted of watching videos and completing tasks on iPads. They questioned whether district staff and resources were expended to help build out the business.
Following parental pushback, the high school's principal, Rory Parnell, told eighth graders’ families in a letter Thursday that those students would be removed from the program beginning Monday.
“I want to acknowledge that pain and mistrust directly — and to offer a sincere apology,” Parnell wrote. “In the care we placed into writing curriculum, supporting teachers and rolling out this program, our intent and vision were lost in translation.”
Cheryl Lampasona, president of the school board, said in a text message the digital platform is suspended for now while the board reviews it further. She deferred further questions to the district's public relations firm, Syntax.
The subject is expected to be discussed at a board meeting Thursday.
Some parents said Friday they were glad to hear the latest development, but noted lingering concerns.
“While I'm happy that they are removing the Build Your Own Grade platform, I feel like there's still unanswered questions that many parents have about the creation of Build Your Own Grade,” said Alicia Devins, the mother of an eighth grade student.
Devins had started a petition asking the district to reconsider the use of the program. In two weeks, the petition had gathered nearly 600 signatures as of Friday night.
Tony Dos Santos, the father of a fifth grader, questioned whether the program will exist in other forms and be introduced to younger grades. He noted the letter came from the high school principal, not the district superintendent.
“Does it still mean that it's staying within the school district confines?” he asked. “Is it going to impact my fifth grader?”
Dos Santos said he’s also concerned about students’ data security and called the rollout, involving a company the superintendent co-owns, a conflict of interest.
“I feel, personally, it's ‘let's test it out in our district, see how it goes, get people to buy into it and then sell it to other school districts for profit,’ ” he said. “That's not the approach to go. I think if you want to create a format or business model, fine. But for you to take it into your own district that you work for is really concerning.”
Nagler did not respond to a request for comment Friday. He began his career teaching social studies in New York City. He joined Mineola in 1999 as an administrator and was named the New York State Superintendent of the Year in 2020, according to an online biography.
Quave, the company he co-founded, appeared to be formed in July, according to its filing with the New York State Department. The company’s address is the same as his home in Garden City.
In the letter, Parnell noted instructional shifts “must continue," without elaborating.
“The world our children are walking into requires them to be more than passive receivers of knowledge,” Parnell wrote. “It requires them to own their learning.”
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.
