Defiance City School District
Administrative Guidelines
 

5410 - PROMOTION, ACADEMIC ACCELERATION, PLACEMENT, AND RETENTION

Optimal school achievement is obtained when students experience success in their daily activities and build upon successful experiences as they encounter new learning situations. All aspects of the student must be considered as grade placements are made.

DEFINITIONS
 A.Promotion:
  Occurs when a student is doing the caliber of work (grade level) that indicates the student has met the criteria established in Policy 5410 and restated below.
 B.Academic Acceleration:
  Occurs when a student is not only doing the caliber of work necessary to be promoted to the next grade or enrolled in the next course in the academic sequence, but also demonstrates the ability to do the caliber of work required of students in that next grade level/subject/course. Provided the student's teacher(s) recommends it and the building administrator and parent(s) concur, the student will be permitted to skip a grade level (i.e., whole-grade acceleration), or take a subject at a higher grade level or skip a course in the usual and customary academic sequence (i.e., individual subject acceleration).
 C.Placement:
  Occurs when a student is not doing the caliber of work that indicates the student should be promoted to the next grade. However, the Student Intervention Team recommends and the building administrator concurs, that it is in the student's best interest to move to the next grade.
 D.Retention:
  Occurs when a student is not doing the caliber of work that indicates the student should be promoted to the next grade, based on the recommendation of the Student Intervention Team with the concurrence of the building administrator.
 E.Student Intervention Team:
  A Student Intervention Team is to be appointed by the principal each year to consider situations in which students may not be promoted to the next grade or may not graduate. Such a team should include classroom teachers, counselors and other support staff, and/or building principal.

To implement Board policy, the following guidelines are to be utilized.

K-12
 A.Criteria
  1.To be accelerated by skipping a grade (i.e., whole-grade acceleration), the student must not only satisfactorily complete all of the academic subjects of his/her current grade, but also demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills for all of the academic subjects of the succeeding grade(s).
  2.To be accelerated by taking a subject at a higher grade level (i.e., individual subject acceleration), the student must not only satisfactorily complete that subject at his/her current grade, but also demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills of that subject for the succeeding grade(s).
 B.Time Line for Elementary Grade Assignment Changes
  1.Before Parent/Teacher Conference: Principal will review grade placement procedures with teachers.
  2.October-January: Teacher should inform parents of student progress.
  3.January-April: Teacher will notify principal, if an alternative grade placement or retention is being considered. The Student Intervention Team may be convened by the principal.
  4.April-June: Decision on placement or retention is made, the student Grade Placement Recommendation is completed, and the student's parents are notified of the decision.
Revised 7/06