Ensuring All Students Meet Standards

(Promotion, Retention, and Acceleration of Students)

The Board believes that early identification of students who are not making adequate progress toward achieving standards and effective intervention are crucial. In accordance with the Board’s policy on grading and assessment systems, teachers shall assess the teaching and learning process on a continual basis. Teachers shall identify students early in the school year who are not making adequate progress toward achieving the state and district’s academic standards and may choose to implement an individual learning plan for each such student.

The plan shall be developed by the student’s teacher and/or other appropriate school staff with input from the student’s parents/guardians. The student’s parents/guardians shall agree in writing to support the plan. Neglect by the parents/guardians with regard to participating in the development of the plan or agreeing to support the plan shall not affect the implementation of the plan.

The plan shall address the specific learning needs of the student. Strategies designed to address those needs may include tutoring programs, after-school programs, summer school programs, other intensive programs and other proven strategies. Teachers are encouraged to collaborate on the development of such plans and to use a variety of strategies consistent with the student’s learning styles and needs.

Each semester, students with individual learning plans shall be reassessed in the content areas covered by the plan.

In order to provide the services necessary to support individual learning plans, the superintendent shall develop tutoring programs, after-school programs, summer school programs, and other intensive programs in the content areas covered by the district’s academic standards. The Board shall commit resources in the budget to support these programs.

As determined by the principal and in accordance with applicable law, students not meeting applicable district academic standards may not be promoted to the next grade level or allowed to graduate. The procedure to retain a student in kindergarten, first, second or third grade due to the student’s significant reading deficiency shall be in accordance with the regulation on early literacy and reading comprehension and applicable law.

When students are retained in the same grade level, the teacher shall evaluate the previous teaching and learning experiences of the student, including whether specific aspects of the individual learning plan were appropriate and effective. Based on this evaluation the teacher shall modify the plan to ensure that the student’s needs will be met and that the student’s educational experience from the previous year is not merely repeated.

Retention due to social, emotional, or physical immaturity shall be used on a very limited basis. After consulting with the student’s parents/guardians, teacher(s) and other professional staff and in accordance with applicable law, the principal shall determine whether it is in the best interests of the student to be retained for such reasons.

Acceleration, or advancing a student more than one grade level, shall be used sparingly when special circumstances warrant.

The district administration shall develop regulations to implement this policy, which shall include an appeals process concerning a decision to promote, retain, or accelerate a student.

Adopted: September 12, 1989

Revised: August 28, 2007

Revised: August 26, 2014

Reviewed: May 8, 2018

LEGAL REFS.: C.R.S. 22-7-1013 (2.5) (recommended considerations for academic acceleration procedure)

C.R.S. 22-32-109 (1)(hh) (board duty to provide an opportunity for an academic remediation plan upon request by student’s parent/guardian)

CROSS REFS.: AE, Accountability/Commitment to Accomplishment

AEA, Standards Based Education

Garfield School District No. Re-2, Rifle, Colorado