It shall be the policy of the Board of Education that each student will be promoted to a succeeding course of study when s/he has demonstrated sufficient proficiency to permit him/her to move ahead in his/her educational program.

Academic acceleration occurs when a student is not only doing the caliber of work necessary to be enrolled in the next course in the academic sequence, but also demonstrates the ability to do the caliber of work required of students in subject/course/program. An acceleration evaluation committee will determine whether the student will be permitted to take a subject at a higher grade level or skip a course in the usual and customary academic sequence (i.e., individual subject acceleration).

Any student residing in the District may be referred by a staff member or a parent/guardian to the principal of his/her school for evaluation for possible accelerated placement. Students may refer themselves or a peer through a staff member who has knowledge of the referred child's abilities. Copies of referral forms for evaluation for individual subject acceleration will be available at each school building.

Students referred for accelerated placement will be evaluated in a prompt manner. The principal will schedule the evaluations. Normally, changes in a student's schedule will occur only at the start of a semester.

Before a student is evaluated for accelerated placement, the principal (or his/her designee) shall obtain written permission from the student's parent/guardian.

Evaluations related to referrals that occur during the school year will ordinarily be completed and a written report issued within forty-five (45) calendar days. Evaluations related to referrals that occur at the end of a school year or during the summer will be completed and a written report issued either or before the end of the school year, if possible, or within forty-five (45) calendar days of the start of the next school year.

Upon referral, the principal (or his/her designee) shall convene an acceleration evaluation committee to determine the appropriate learning environment for the referred student. This committee shall include the following:

The acceleration evaluation committee shall be responsible for conducting a fair and thorough evaluation of the student. The acceleration evaluation committee will consider the student's own thoughts on possible accelerated placement in its deliberations. An individual from the home school shall be consulted as part of the evaluation.

Students considered for individual subject acceleration will be evaluated using a variety of data sources, including measures of achievement based on State academic content standards (in subjects for which the State Board of Education has approved content standards) and consideration of the student's maturity and desire for accelerated placement.

Participation in career programs may be limited due to specific seat time and/or age requirements based on local, State, and Federal laws, and requirements of external organizations (e.g. private businesses that sponsor internship opportunities) whose polices are beyond the control of the school.

The acceleration evaluation committee shall issue a written decision on the outcome of the evaluation process to the principal and the student's parent/guardian. This notification shall include instructions for appealing the decision.

Appeals must be made in writing to the Superintendent within thirty (30) calendar days of the parent/guardian receiving the committee's decision. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall review the appeal and notify the parent/guardian of his/her decision within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving the appeal. The Superintendent or his/her designee's decision shall be final.

If the student is recommended for individual subject acceleration, the acceleration evaluation committee will develop a written acceleration plan. The parent/guardian shall be provided with a copy of the plan. The plan shall specify:

A school staff member will be assigned to oversee implementation of the acceleration plan and to monitor the adjustment of the student to the accelerated setting.

At any time during the transition period, a parent/guardian of the student may request in writing that the student be withdrawn from accelerated placement. In such cases the principal shall remove the student from the accelerated placement without repercussions.

At any time during the transition period, a parent/guardian may request in writing an alternative accelerated placement. In such cases, the principal shall direct the evaluation committee to consider other accelerative options and to issue a decision within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving the request. If the student will be placed in a different accelerated setting from that initially recommended, the student's acceleration plan shall be revised accordingly, and a new transition period shall be specified.

At the end of the transition period, the accelerated placement shall become permanent. The student's record shall be modified accordingly, and the acceleration implementation plan shall become part of the student's permanent record to facilitate continuous progress through the curriculum.

A student may be retained in his/her current subject/course/program when s/he has:

A student may be placed in a succeeding subject/course/program when retention would no longer benefit the student.

The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines which require that a student be retained if s/he is truant for ten percent (10%) or more of the required school days and has failed at least two (2) courses of study, unless the principal and the teachers of the failed subjects determine that the student is academically prepared to be promoted.

R.C. 3313.608, 3313.608(D), 3313.609, 3313.647, 3324.10
A.C. 3301-35-02 (B) (5)

Adopted 5/18/98
Revised 6/18/07