The Wake County school board announced tonight that new principals have been named for Lufkin Road Middle School and Holly Ridge Elementary School.

Karen Sinders was hired to be principal of Lufkin Road Middle in Apex with a salary of $84,902.48. She has been principal of Madison Junior High School in Madison, Ind., since 2008.

Joy M. Gorman will be principal of Holly Ridge Elementary in Holly Springs with a salary of $80,474. She has been principal of Briarcliff Elementary in Cary since 2008.

UPDATE

Click here to view the bio sheets.

Wake County's track 2 year-round students will be taking their state end-of-grade exams earlier than planned this school year.

The state approved the school system's request to move up the test dates for track 2 to May 8-10, the week before they track out. Previously, the students would have taken the tests after they track back in on June 5-7.

School districts are supposed to give the EOGs within the last 22 days of the school year. But waivers can be granted.

UPDATE

Wake County school officials say the specific test dates vary for individual year-round schools because they're given a window to offer the exams.

Will the Wake County school board compromise on the final version of a new middle school math placement policy to go beyond the 5-4 majority that passed it last week?

The Democratic school board members who all voted no said they want to approve a new policy. But they raised concerns that using a 70 percent or higher EVAAS probability of success was too low a cut line. They also said they want to allow teachers to still use professional judgment when they feel a student isn't ready for pre-algebra or Algebra I.

Will the Republican board members who all voted yes compromise on those points to get broader support or stick substantially with what's now in the policy?

CORRECTED TO SAY 20 OF THE 36 QUESTIONS ON NC STATE'S CHEM PLACEMENT EXAM DEAL WITH ALGEBRA

A partial return to letter grades in elementary school and a discussion of revising how grades are issued in middle school and high school will form part of today's Wake County school board discussion.

As noted in today's article, staff will present to the board a number of changes they want to make in a draft R&P on grading policies. It would go along with revisions they want the board to make to the grading policy.

The secondary school changes would mirror efforts begun in 2001 at elementary schools to separate out what could be considered classroom behavior from the academic grades. But the changes may be going too far for some parents and board members.