Social Promotion/Retention

SOCIAL PROMOTION/RETENTION

1. Does your district have specific criteria for determining whether to promote or retain (multiple test scores, teacher recommendation, etc.)? If so, can you share these? District Response Olympia Most retentions occur in K, followed by 1st. Tri-Point Yes, ISAT Scores, local tests, Flex Plan Progress (or lack of), teacher recommendation and CUSD 6j parent consent. Franklin We require students in grades 6 - 8 to pass 6 of 8 classes to move up to the next grade. in CUSD grades 9 - 12 students are required to earn 7 credits each year in order to move up to the next grade. We have very few retentions, partly because we allow on-line make up credits. GCMS No - Refer to 3rd bullet for my opinion and what we do at GCMS

2. What percentage of your students do you actually retain? District Response Olympia 4 retentions have occurred in each of the past 2 years from a class average of 140 students. Tri-Point Depends on the year. We currently have 544 students (k-12) last year we retained 4 students. CUSD 6j GCMS Less than a percent - None last year and maybe 2 the year prior out of 1100 students.

3. If you do retain students, what grade levels do you find this happening the most? District Response Olympia Local assessments, reading fluency/comprehension, and teacher recommendations are used to determine the need for retention. Tri-Point We believe that retentions should occur during the early years, we very rarely retain after 3rd CUSD 6j grade, at least that has been the practice during my 5 year tenure. GCMS 4th grade and 7th were our last retentions - If standardixed test scores indicate that the student is at grade level or above in reading and math, I will veto the retention. Retention has too many serious academic consequences (such as eventually dropping out of school in high school) to retain a student because they do not do his/her school work. For those students who are retained, a plan needs to be developed indicating what is going to be different other than repeating the same things with a different teacher. Rankin We usually try to catch low performing students in KG or 1st and don't send them on if they do not have phonics and/or reading skills to be successful in next grade. About 90% of our retentions at these grades have proved successful with student maturing and getting the essential skills needed to learn all other school subjects. Our second most common retention level is 6th or 7th as our JH students refuse to do their work and the parents do not help. We have only had 4 or 5 in the past 7 years and they have all done better the second time around. Sometimes they just don't believe they have to work at school, al least a bit, to be successful and pass. We generally do not retain for low achieving but effort making students at JH as they would not profit from a second experience. I try to focus on if repeating will most likely benefit the child in the long run and make decisions based on that concept. South Fork We retain most students at junior high level. Some are retained at elementary but this is done based on maturity and ability to do the work at the next grade level and whether the retention will benefit the academic achievement for the student. We retained one kindergartener this past year. What we observed at high school was that the junior high students were failing the academic subjects several years in a row and then struggled even more at high school. We retain any student who fails the same subject 2 or more years in a row. A second criteria is that a student is considered for retention if he/she fails 2 or more subjects in any one year - this includes PE and exploratory subjects that are pass/fail. Once it is determined that a student is

0cb30bdc72513795aad0199bb2895034.doc Page 1 of 4 retained, they may attend summer school and be promoted to the next grade level. This is allowed only one time during the 5-8 grade junior high levels. While I am not in favor of 15 year olds in the junior high, students do put more effort in to subjects that they have failed the previous year. We also have an alternative school for students who have failed several years. The alternative school can offer them individualized instruction to help them "catch up" to where they should be.

Other Responses:  I read a very helpful book on this subject. The name of it is "Light's Retention Scale". Here is a description of the book I found online... This useful scale helps teachers, parents, and administrators understand the pros and cons of grade retention for students at the elementary and secondary levels (ages 6 through 18 years). It is an economical way to arrive at a sound decision regarding grade retention--a decision that takes into account the individual situation and the needs of the child. The 2006 edition features an updated literature review, which is one of the most comprehensive and current available on grade retention. Usually completed and discussed during parent/teacher conferences, the scale is composed of 20 categories related to grade retention. The student is rated from 1 to 5 on each of these categories, and a total score is computed. This score tells you whether grade retention would be helpful or harmful to the student in question. The Light's Retention Scale provides opportunities for dialogue between parents and educators, and assures all involved that the decision is based on thoughtful, professional findings. A Parent Guide explains the rating criteria in a straightforward, easy-to- understand manner. While not a standardized test, this is an excellent counseling and decision-making tool. It requires only 10 minutes, yet it provides an objective, structured, and legally defensible analysis of the factors that should be considered in making a decision about grade retention. The link is: http://portal.wpspublish.com/portal/page?_pageid=53,70047&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

0cb30bdc72513795aad0199bb2895034.doc Page 2 of 4 LEGAL REFERENCES Who has final authority to determine whether a student is promoted or retained at grade level? (source: 2007 Illinois School Law Survey)  Except in the case of a student who has been found to be in need of special education, a school board has general authority to determine retention and promotion.  A 1997 amendment to the School Code prohibits social promotion of students and prevents promotion based upon age or any other social reason not related to the academic performance of the student. Decisions to retain or promote must be based on successful completion of the curriculum, attendance, performance on the Illinois Goals and Assessment Program tests (IGAP), the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, other testing or other criteria established by the school board.  Students who do not qualify for promotion must be provided remedial assistance which may include, but is not limited to, a summer bridge program of not less than 90 hours, tutoring, increased or concentrated instructional time, modification of instructional materials and retention in grade. Each school district must have a promotion-retention policy in place by not later than September 1, 1998.  105 ILCS 5/10-20.9a Morgan v. Board of Education of Trico Community Unit School District 176, 22 Ill. App. 3d 241, 317 N.E. 2d 393 (5th Dist. 1974)

§ 105 ILCS 5/10-20.9a. Final Grade; Promotion  Sec. 10-20.9a. Final Grade; Promotion. (a) Teachers shall administer the approved marking system or other approved means of evaluating pupil progress. The teacher shall maintain the responsibility and right to determine grades and other evaluations of students within the grading policies of the district based upon his or her professional judgment of available criteria pertinent to any given subject area or activity for which he or she is responsible. District policy shall provide the procedure and reasons by and for which a grade may be changed; provided that no grade or evaluation shall be changed without notification to the teacher concerning the nature and reasons for such change. If such a change is made, the person making the change shall assume such responsibility for determining the grade or evaluation, and shall initial such change.  (b) School districts shall not promote students to the next higher grade level based upon age or any other social reasons not related to the academic performance of the students. On or before September 1, 1998, school boards shall adopt and enforce a policy on promotion as they deem necessary to ensure that students meet local goals and objectives and can perform at the expected grade level prior to promotion. Decisions to promote or retain students in any classes shall be based on successful completion of the curriculum, attendance, performance based on Illinois Goals and Assessment Program tests, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, or other testing or any other criteria established by the school board. Students determined by the local district to not qualify for promotion to the next higher grade shall be provided remedial assistance, which may include, but shall not be limited to, a summer bridge program of no less than 90 hours, tutorial sessions, increased or concentrated instructional time, modifications to instructional materials, and retention in grade. (Source: P.A. 86-721; 89-610, § 5; 90-548, § 5-915.)

Note. This section was Ill.Rev.Stat., Ch. 122, Para. 10-20.9a. Effect of Amendments. The 1996 amendment by P.A. 89-610, effective August 6, 1996, in the section catchline added "Promotion" at the end; added the subsection (a) designation; in subsection (a), in the second sentence, substituted "district" for "District" and in the third sentence substituted a period for "and"; and added subsection (b). The 1997 amendment by P.A. 90-548, effective January 1, 1998, in subsection (b), in the first sentence, substituted "shall not promote" for "are discouraged from promoting", in the second sentence, added at the beginning "On or before September 1, 1998", substituted "shall" for "May" and substituted "a policy" for "such policies" and added the third and fourth sentences. 0cb30bdc72513795aad0199bb2895034.doc Page 3 of 4 Troy CCSD 30-C Policy 6:280 – Grading and Promotion The administration and professional staff shall establish a system of grading and reporting academic achievement to students and their parents and guardians. The system shall also determine when promotion requirements are met. The decision to promote a student to the next grade level shall be based on successful completion of the curriculum, attendance, performance based on Illinois Standards Achievement Tests, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, or other testing. A student shall not be promoted based upon age or any other social reason not related to academic performance. The administration shall determine remedial assistance for a student who is not promoted. Every teacher shall maintain an evaluation record for each student in the teacher's classroom. The final grade assigned by the teacher cannot be changed by a District administrator without notifying the teacher. Reasons for changing a student's final grade include:  a miscalculation of test scores;  a technical error in assigning a particular grade or score;  the teacher agrees to allow the student to do extra work that may impact the grade;  an inappropriate grading system used to determine the grade; or  an inappropriate grade based on an appropriate grading system. Should a grade change be made, the administrator making the change must sign the changed record.

LEGAL REF.: 105 ILCS 5/2-3.64, 5/10-20.9a, 5/10-21.8, and 5/27-27. 23 Ill. Admin. Code § 1.440.

CROSS REF.: 7:50 (School Admissions and Student Transfers to and from Non-District Schools)

ADOPTED: September 18, 2002

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