 |
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Article 42 - Grading, Promotion & Retention
| Section 42.1 | Student Placement, Promotion Retention -- General Rules |
| Section 42.2 | Elementary School Promotion Retention |
| Section 42.3 | Middle High School Promotion Retention |
| Section 42.4 | Grading ( Middle High School Students |
| Section 42.5 | Make-up Opportunities |
| Section 42.6 | Notification to Parents of Student Performance |
| Section 42.7 | Student Placement ( Advanced (AP) Enriched Courses |
| Section 42.8 | Honor Rolls ( Middle High Schools |
| Section 42.9 | Senior Class Ranking Honors |
| Section 42.10 | Graduation |
| Section 42.11 | College Matriculation |
| Section 42.12 | High School Credit for College Courses |
Article 42
GRADING, PROMOTION & RETENTION
Adopted 03/05/03
Section 42.1 Student Placement, Promotion & Retention -- General Rules
(A) Placement of a student within the system, with respect to building, teacher, grade or special class, and advanced/enriched courses, shall be:
(1) at the discretion of the school administration;
(2) subject to review and change at any time;
(3) determined based upon consideration of a student's
(a) performance in class,
(b) past records,
(c) mental, physical, emotional and social maturity,
(d) parent and teacher recommendations,
(e) standardized test scores, and
(f) any other appropriate sources of information.
(B) Generally, students transferring into the system will be placed in the same grade level as in the school from which they transferred; provided, however, that any student may be retained or advanced in grade at the principal's discretion after consideration of the criteria in paragraph (A) above.
(C) Promotion and retention shall be considered primarily from the point of view of what is in the best interest of the student based upon consideration of the following:
(1) promotion/retention should
(a) build up a student's self image, and
(b) encourage self-motivation, initiative, and personal responsibility;
(2) the earlier in the student's school career that retention takes place, the better;
(3) no student should repeat a grade level more than once;
(4) only in exceptional situations should a student be retained more than twice during his/her school experience; and
(5) retention shall not be implemented for disciplinary reasons.
Section 42.2 Elementary School Promotion & Retention
(A) The classroom teacher shall keep parents informed of his/her concerns about children throughout the school year. If the classroom teacher feels that retention might be in a particular student's best interest, the teacher is responsible for documenting (with the help of support personnel) the need to retain the student, and for communicating this to both the student's parents and the principal.
(B) Where a student has been previously retained and/or if the student is a year or more older than his/her grade peers, continued retention shall not be preferred.
(C) In the event there is a disagreement between parents and teachers about a retention decision following input from concerned parties, the principal shall make the final decision and shall notify the parents and teacher of the decision in writing.
Section 42.3 Middle & High School Promotion & Retention
(A) Promotion or retention of a student in Middle school shall be based upon the following guidelines:
(1) a student failing less than 2 subjects[1] will be promoted, but will be required to repeat any failed courses;
(2) a student failing 2 subjects may either repeat the entire grade or, where repeating would be of no practical educational value, may be promoted to the next grade level but required to repeat failed courses; and
(3) a student failing 3 or more subjects will generally repeat the entire grade, provided that in exceptional cases he/she may be promoted to the next grade;
(4) a student who successfully completes a failed course in summer school will be promoted to the next grade level in that subject area; and
(5) an eighth grade student who fails one or more major subjects[2] must attend summer school in order to be promoted to ninth grade.
(B) High school students who fail a course required for graduation must successfully complete the course in summer school or repeat the course the following year.
Students who have not earned full credit will not be permitted to register for the next sequence class until the prior prerequisite class is successfully completed. Transfer students, accelerated students and seniors with special circumstances may, with approval from the High School Principal, be exempted from this requirement.
Section 42.4 Grading B Middle & High School Students
(A) In all middle school and high school courses, a student must attain a final average of at least 65 to obtain credit for the course.
(B) Final average in Middle school shall be determined based upon the average of the student's first and second semester grades, with mid-term and final exams to be counted as 20% of the semester grades.
(C) Final average in the high school shall be determined by adding each of the student's four term averages plus the mid-term and final exam grades, and divide by six.
(D) Notwithstanding paragraph (C) above, whenever in the opinion of a building principal and/or the Superintendent a final examination in a Regents course is unfair, misleading, incorrect, or otherwise does not test the knowledge of the students, in a particular course, the Superintendent may reduce (even to zero) the weight such final examination shall have in determining the grades and final averages of all students in the course.
Section 42.5 Make-up Opportunities
Students who fail a course shall be required to repeat the course to the extent of completing enough of the course material to obtain a satisfactory grade. The teacher shall certify the student to receive credit for the course if he/she feels the student has met the basic course objectives.
Section 42.6 Notification to Parents of Student Performance
(A) Report cards, to be issued at ten (10) week intervals, shall be the standard means by which pupil progress and other appropriate school data are relayed to parents; but shall not preclude other means of reporting progress such as by personal and/or phone conferences, letters, etc.
(B) In addition to report cards, teachers shall notify in writing the parents of a student who is underperforming or in jeopardy of failing at the end of the fifth, fifteenth, twenty-fifth and thirty-fifth week intervals, or at such other times as the teacher may be authorized by the building principal to furnish such notice. Copies of such notices shall be filed with the Guidance Office.
Section 42.7 Student Placement B Advanced (AP) & Enriched Courses
Selection of a student for advanced/enriched course work shall be made by the building principal in consultation with the student's guidance counselor and the advanced/enriched course teacher based on other teacher recommendations and demonstrated ability.
Section 42.8 Honor Rolls B Middle & High Schools
(A) Students in the high and middle schools who achieve a class average of 85% or higher during any ten (10) week marking period, and who do not have an incomplete on her/his record, shall be recognized by being placed on the academic honor rolls of their respective schools.
(B) Middle students who receive an average effort grade of at least 4 shall be recognized by being placed on the effort honor roll.
Section 42.9 Senior Class Ranking & Honors
(A) The top ten per-cent of the graduation shall be recognized provided that no average falls below 85%. In the event an average of a student in the top ten percent falls below 85%, only that percentage of the class having averages of 85% or above shall be recognized.
(B) The scholastic averages for the top ten percent of the high school senior class shall be computed according to the following procedure:
(1) counting all subjects taken for school credit B except for driver education, physical education, and religion B whether passed or failed, use general average for three years and mid-year term average for the 12th year, but do not use mid-year and final examination marks;
(2) ninth and tenth grade subjects, except religion, may be transferred from other high schools;
(3) if letter grades are transferred, use the numerical equivalent and apply the midpoint of the letter grade range;
(4) a one semester course, or a full year course that is taught two or three days per week, shall be counted as one half of a full unit course;
(5) when considering repeated courses (which were passed), take the average of the two grades, except that
(a) if the subject is repeated for first semester only, average the two June general averages, or
(b) if only the final examination is repeated to raise the mark, it will have no effect on the computation and will not be counted.
(6) for dropped courses, count the mid-year term average only since the rank is figured after the end of the first semester, unless the subject was dropped prior to mid-year in which event do not count the subject in the computation;
(7) students not attending Saranac Lake High School for the entire 11th and 12th grades will be ranked in order but with an asterisk (*) to indicate this fact, and such students
(a) will not be eligible for the honor of Valedictorian or Salutatorian, and
(b) will be listed in addition to the top ten percent of the graduating class; and
(8) students who are not members of the senior class, but who plan to graduate with the senior class and wish to be considered in the senior class ranking, must declare their graduation intentions within ten (10) school days after the first day of school of the year during which they plan to graduate.
(C) The seniors with the highest and second highest grade point averages shall be Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively.
Upon satisfaction of all applicable requirements for graduation, a student shall be entitled to graduate and receive a diploma from the District, and shall also be eligible to participate as a member of the graduating class in a graduation ceremony conducted by the District. No student who has failed to satisfy all graduation requirements applicable to such student shall be entitled to graduate or receive a diploma, or allowed to participate in such ceremony.
Section 42.11 College Matriculation
All senior students who have successfully fulfilled their requirements to enter into their senior year and who have demonstrated intellectual and social maturity, may choose to matriculate at any one of the colleges having a cooperative agreement with the District in order to pursue early admission to college, collegiate-level work offered in the high school, or other means of participating advanced work. Review and approval by the high school principal is necessary before any college courses may be taken during the school day.
Section 42.12 High School Credit for College Courses
(A) All students, on an equal basis, shall have the opportunity to participate in college courses for high school credit.
(B) If the District offers a college level course as part of its curriculum, then all cost shall be paid by the District. In the event that a student takes a college level course on the student's own initiative, then the District shall not pay for or reimburse any of the tuition, fees or other expenses incurred by the student.
(C) No credit shall be granted for college courses without the approval of the Superintendent, upon recommendation of the high school principal, after considering:
(1) course content,
(2) equivalency of instruction,
(3) time requirements, and
(4) the academic, grade level and coursework requirements for participation in such courses.
(D) Students with disabilities shall have the same opportunity as other students to participate in college courses for high school credit based upon the following:
(1) when the CSE determines that a college course is appropriate for a student, it shall be included in the student's IEP;
(2) the requirements used by the CSE to determine whether a student with disabilities may participate in a college course must be the same as for all other students;
(3) the District shall pay tuition and other costs related to the course, including the appropriate related services necessary to allow the student to participate in the course such as a tutor, sign language interpreter, note-taker or alternative testing.