The purpose of promotion and retention is to provide maximum consideration for the long-range welfare of the student and to provide an opportunity for each student to progress through school according to his/her own needs and abilities.
It is expected that most students in the schools will be promoted annually from one grade level to another upon completion of satisfactory work; however, a student may be retained when his/her standards of achievement or social, emotional, mental, or physical development would not allow satisfactory progress in the next higher grade. Retention normally occurs before the student leaves the primary grades.
Parents/guardians who wish to appeal the decision for retention must first contact the building principal. If parents/guardians do not accept the decision at the building level, an appeal may be made in writing to the Superintendent. All appeals must be requested within two (2) weeks after the close of school.
The district may require remediation as a condition of promotion to the next grade level for any student identified by the district as failing to master skills and competencies established for that particular grade level. Such remediation may include, but shall not necessarily be limited to, a mandatory summer school program focused on the areas of deficiency or other such activities conducted by the school district outside of the regular school day.
The process for reading assessments and remediation, and retention guidelines for students who fail to meet the District’s objectives for reading, are contained in Regulation 2520 – Promotion, Retention and Acceleration.
The Board recognizes that all students learn and progress at different rates and the time it takes to reach academic standards varies among students. The Board believes students should be challenged and supported to reach their full potential and the practice of educational acceleration is used to match appropriate learning opportunities with student abilities. Participation in a school’s gifted program is not a prerequisite for consideration of acceleration as an educational intervention The (District) Board of Education believes that such students often require access to advanced curriculum in order to realize their potential contribution to themselves and society. For many advanced learners, this can best be achieved by affording them access to curriculum, learning environments, and instructional interventions more commonly provided to older peers. Regulation 2520 describes the process that shall be used for evaluating students for possible accelerated placement and identifying students who should be granted content-based or grade-based acceleration.