Promotion/Acceleration

The Board of Trustees expects students to progress through each grade level within one school year.  To accomplish this, instruction should accommodate the variety of ways that children learn.   

Students shall progress through the grade levels by demonstrating growth in learning and meeting grade-level standards of expected student achievement.

When high academic achievement is evident, the Superintendent/designee may recommend a student for acceleration into a higher-grade level.  The student’s maturity level shall be taken into consideration in making a determination to accelerate a student.

A student enrolled in kindergarten may be admitted to the first grade at the discretion of the Superintendent/designee and with the consent of the parent/guardian, upon determination that the child is ready for first-grade work.

Retention

According to Education Code, Board Polices and Administrative Regulations, districts may retain students that are not meeting grade level standards.

First, staff needs to notify the parents early in the school year that the child is at risk of retention.  School staff needs to offer some type of intervention for the student (during the day, before and after school, office hours, shadow class, remediation, etc.).

Next, staff at the school site needs to set up a meeting with the parent to discuss retention. The staff needs to document the recommendation of the teacher/team. Parents need to be provided with a copy of the District’s promotion/retention policy and administrative regulations.  If the parent disagrees with the recommended retention, the Superintendent/designee shall secure a signed statement to that effect from the parent.  The teacher or student study team’s decision to promote or retain a student may be appealed. 

To appeal the retention decision, the parent needs to submit a written request to the Superintendent, specifying the reasons the decision should be overruled.  The appeal must be initiated within 10 school days of the determination of the retention decision.  Within 30 days of receiving the request, the Superintendent/designee shall determine whether or not to overrule the team’s decision.  Prior to making this determination, the Superintendent/designee may meet with the appealing party and the teacher/team.

The Superintendent/designee determination may be appealed by submitting a written appeal to the Board within 15 school days.  Within 30 days of receipt of a written appeal, the Board shall meet in closed session to decide the appeal.  The decision of the Board shall be final. 

If the decision of the Board is unfavorable to the appealing party, he/she shall have the right to submit a written statement of objections, which shall become part of the student’s record.