Adopted: February 1979
Revised: October 2006
Download 602.5AR - Retention of Students in Kindergarten Through Grade Eight
1. Definitions
1.1 Retention is the process of withholding promotion to the next highest grade as an educational alternative designed to meet the needs of students.
1.2 Child Study is the district's process for systematically screening, assessing, identifying and placing students with potential disabling conditions. A child study referral must be accepted by the preassessment team to begin the child study process.
2. Process for Retention
2.1 If a parent or school staff wish to consider retention for a particular student a preassessment team meeting will be scheduled.
2.2 A meeting of the preassessment team, including at least the classroom teacher(s), parent(s), principal and psychologist will be held to discuss the request for consideration of retention and decide if consideration of retention is appropriate or if there is sufficient reason to believe a disability exists such that a child study referral is appropriate. The preassessment team will complete Procedure 602.5.1P, Request for Consideration of Retention.
2.3 If a child study referral is initiated, the child study team will complete an assessment and recommend educational alternatives.
2.4 If the preassessment team does not see any potential disabling condition but does not recommend further consideration of the retention process, Procedure 602.5.1.2P, Summary of Decision Not to Proceed with Retention Assessment, will be completed.
2.5 If the preassessment team does not see any potential disabling condition but does recommend further consideration of the retention process, Procedure 602.5.1.3P, Permission for Retention Assessment, will be completed and the process outlined below will be followed:
2.5.1 The classroom teacher will gather informal criterion-referenced data and formal standardized test data.
2.5.2 The classroom teacher(s), psychologist and/or the principal will conduct and document observations of student performance and behavior and will list concerns about social-emotional maturity, chronological age, etc.
2.5.3 Assessment results will be documented using Procedure 602.5.2P, Report of Educational Assessment for Consideration of Retention.
2.5.4 When the assessment is complete Procedure, 602.5.3P, Notice of Meeting for Consideration of Retention, will be completed.
2.5.5 The assessment team will meet, consider the assessment data, determine whether retention is appropriate and complete Procedure 602.5.4P, Meeting Summary for Consideration of Retention.