Hugh O'Donnell

Hugh O'Donnell is a third generation educator with 25 years in the classroom followed by eight years as a school board member. He holds a current State of Oregon Standard Teaching Certificate in secondary level social studies.

In 2001, Hugh met Ken O'Connor at a two-day ASCD institute on grading for learning. Immediately following the institute with Ken, Hugh introduced Hillsboro School District's first set of grading for learning guidelines based on Ken's work at JW Poynter Middle School. These guidelines were featured in 2003 as an exemplar in an ASCD training manual edited by Ken (Guide for Instructional Leaders Action Tool: Guide 2, ed. Ken O'Connor). In subsequent years, Hugh implemented assessment literacy and grading for learning in the classroom, presented on these topics at academic seminars for staff at middle and elementary schools in Hillsboro as a member of the Hillsboro Schools Professional Development Cohort, and later conducted breakout sessions at the annual ATI/Pearson Conference on Sound Grading Practices (2006, 2007, and 2008). Hugh has presented on sound grading practices to staff at schools in both the US and Canada.

In September of 2009, Hugh led the team that wrote the Hillsboro School District's new Board Policy IK (Academic Achievement), which separates the reporting of academic achievement from behavior and requires report card grades to be based on a variety of assessments of a summative nature. In March 2010, by unanimous vote, the seven-member Hillsboro School District Board adopted new Policy IK.