ACCELERATED PROMOTION AND RETENTION POLICY: 3015
1. GUIDELINES ADMINISTRATIVE
1.1 It is not recommended as a general practice that a student skip a grade or be retained in a grade. However, in rare circumstances it may be in the best interest of the student that he/she be promoted or retained. The following are guidelines concerning this topic:
1.2 Each promotion and retention case shall be evaluated by a school placement team comprised of a principal, parents, teachers, and a district appointed guidance specialist who will consider individual patterns of growth in terms of probabilities for helping the student become successful and happy in his/her learning experience. Some of the considerations would include: proper grade retention, academic testing showing significantly higher or lower test scores than current placement, age of student, physical and emotional status, etc.
1.3 The data as outlined below should be collected and considered in the evaluation for each student promotion. The final decision to promote or retain a student is the responsibility of the placement team under the direction of the principal.
2. Kindergarten Guidelines
2.1 An elementary principal will have the opportunity to decide whether a student should be retained or promoted in kindergarten or first grade.
2.2 Entry into Sevier School District Schools shall be determined by chronological age. Children five (5) years of age before September 2nd of a given school year may be enrolled in Kindergarten. There shall be no exceptions to this age requirement.
2.3 Children who have not completed an accredited kindergarten program may enroll in first grade provided they have reached the age of six (6) before the 2nd day of September.
2.4 In unusual circumstances where deemed justified by a school placement team composed of the child’s teacher(s), principal, parent(s), and a School District Office representative may make an advanced placement to exclude further kindergarten involvement. Such action may be taken, however, only after the team has had adequate time to assess the students’ social, emotional, physical wellbeing, and academic performance levels. Four weeks of instruction in kindergarten is considered the very minimum time for adequate evaluations to occur.
2.5 Academic performance levels shall be determined by scoring above the 95th percentile on the Utah State Office of Education’s end of Kindergarten assessment and other achievement measures determined by the district guidance specialist.
3. Advanced Promotion Guidelines Grades 1-8
3.1 Students may be promoted or retained within their respective school. However, a student may not be promoted directly from an elementary school to a middle school until the middle school principal and school placement team has ample time to assess the academic and social needs of the student.
3.2 Physical, emotional, intellectual and social maturity should be considered.
3.3 Observation and evaluation should be completed by the classroom teacher/teachers.
3.4 A district assigned guidance specialist should complete observation and evaluation.
3.5 The student should be in the top 5-percent of his/her class (grade at school) academically and intellectually, to be considered for a special accelerated promotion.
3.6 Scores from a norm-referenced achievement battery (e.g., Stanford Achievement Test) and a criterion-referenced test (e.g., state end-of-level test) should be available for evaluation. The student should be performing above the 96th percentile in most of the academic areas in order to be considered for special promotion.
3.7 Advancement to another school must have the approval and involvement from the receiving principal, (i.e., a fifth grade elementary student promoted to a sixth grade middle school.
3.8 Consideration should be given to the parental desire for advancement and their willingness to support the placement.
4. Grade 9-12 Guidelines
4.1 A student will not be retained.
4.2 High school grade level is based on the number of credits a student earns.
Note
Except in extremely rare circumstances should a student have special advancement more than once during his/her school experience.
Approved 1/10/01
Revised 9/11/01
Revised 09/11/19
