Teachers at Durango High School for some time have quietly based grades on an intangible called “character,” but this year, it’s out in the open.

Character, which has three components – respect, perseverance and responsibility – counts for 20 percent of a grade. It’s enough to elevate – or lower – a letter grade by a full step.

Knowledge and test scores alone aren’t enough anymore. A separate character grade began to appear this school year alongside the academic grade on report cards for Durango High School students.

Laurel Waller, whose daughter, Sarah, is a sophomore, likes the idea.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Waller said. “The traits are something they need as they go through life.”

Waller said Sarah seems “fine” with the new standard. “It’s just another thing she has to concentrate on.”

Aimee Martin’s son, Tim, is a sophomore.

“I think the ratio (the 20 percent) is kind of high,” Martin said. “I’d rather see students graded on performance rather than on how friendly they try to be.”

When told the character element would be considered only 10 percent of the grade starting in the fall, Martin said:

“That’s good. I think that’s more fair.”

Report cards go out twice a year.

Teachers worked out a standard of performance to rate respect, perseverance and responsibility, district spokeswoman Julie Popp said. Respect covers peers as well as teachers, and the other two traits gauge how well a student takes on an assignment and sees it through, she said.

The importance of character sprang from conversations that district Superintendent Dan Snowberger had with members of the business community who employ students, district spokeswoman Julie Popp said.

“Business people said students were ‘woefully’ unprepared for the post-graduation job market,” Popp said. “They arrive late to work, text a significant other or friend throughout the day or call off if there’s a great powder day at Purgatory.”

District administrators and teachers took the assessment to heart, Popp said.

“We took it seriously because these traits are relevant in any endeavor,” Popp said. “They’re 21st-century traits that are required to be successful in school and beyond.”

In prior years, the character element was imbedded in the grade so students and parents weren’t aware of it, Popp said. It’s overt now, she said, but the importance of character will drop from 20 percent to 10 percent of the grade in the fall, she said.

“Twenty percent was pretty hefty, but we wanted to show that we were serious coming out of the gate,” Popp said. “We’re still serious, but the percentage won’t be as high.

“The school district has taken the lead in emphasizing character,” Popp said. “But we hope the effort is reinforced at home and in the community.”

As the cliche states, Popp said, it takes a village.

daler@durangoherald.com