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Adoption Date: 9/1/2012
Regulations - Regulations


7210R PROMOTION AND RETENTION OF STUDENTS

Elementary Schools

 

Students must be placed in the best possible learning levels for successful educational experiences. Retention shall be limited to those situations where in the best interests of the child a successful learning experience is reasonably assured. Diligent effort shall be made to utilize all available resources to determine the child's appropriate placement. The age, size, work and study skills, social attitudes the report card and achievement record of every student shall be considered when making the promotion and retention decision. Ingeneral, a student shall only repeat one (1) grade level once.

 

Middle Schools

 

1)      Students who pass all subjects will be promoted automatically.

 

2)     Students who fail one (1) subject will have the failure evaluated and a determination made as to the reason for the failure. The student may be required to repeat the subject, but in typical cases shall be promoted with recommendation for either summer school or assignment to a lower academic ability group. The decision shall be arrived at by consensus from a case conference approach involving teacher, Principal, and guidance counselor.

 

3)     Students who fail two (2) subjects shall have their cases considered on an individual basis trough a case conferences approach as in item 2 above.

 

4)       Students who fail more than two (2) subjects shall fail for the year as well as the semester.

 

5)     Social promotion may be utilized at the discretion of the Administrator, Teacher,and Guidance counselor involved. The criteria include: ability, previous failures, age, historical growth and progress for given year, social pressures, attitude and effort, individual student needs and standardized test for individual subjects.

 

Senior High School

 

In general, promotion from one grade level to the next shall be contingent upon the passing of all required subjects and the accumulation of four (4) units of credit at each year level with the total accumulation.

SUBJECT:    CLASS RANKING

 

Determination of class rank shall be made using the following standard procedures in the

District:

 

 

•    Ranking of students in grades 9-11 will occur at the end of forty weeks, following the distribution of final grades.

 

•    For the purpose of identifying a senior valedictorian and salutatorian, and the top ten seniors, seniors will be ranked by weighted grade point average at thirty weeks (following the distribution of third quarter report cards).

 

•    Foreign exchange students and students earning IEP diplomas will not be included in class ranking.

 

•    A student who has the highest weighted grade point average shall be given the distinction of valedictorian.  A student who has the second highest weighted grade point average shall be given the distinction of salutatorian.  Students with a "tied" weighted GPA shall be designated as co-valedictorian or co-salutatorian respectively.

 

•    A student who elects to graduate early, having completed graduation requirements in less than 8 semesters of high school, shall have his/her weighted grade point average computed and be eligible for recognition of achievement of top honors.

 

•    To be considered for first or second honors (valedictorian and salutatorian), a student must have been enrolled in the District for two consecutive years prior to graduation.

 

 

•    A final senior ranking, for the purpose of recognition of the students with weighted grade point averages of 90 or above at graduation, will be determined at the end of thirty weeks.

 

•    Following graduation, a final senior rank will be shared with colleges.  This information will be available to a student and shared with colleges.

 

For the purpose of determining the weighted grade-point averages used to determine class rank, the following standard procedures shall be followed:

 

•    In determining marking period averages, grades for all credit bearing classes will be computed to determine marking period averages. The grades will be calculated in the average on the basis of their credit bearing status. For example, half credit courses will be calculated on .5 in calculating weighted cumulative averages and full credit courses will be calculated on a 1.0.

 

•    Three tiers for establishing weighted grade point averages are designated asfollows: General curriculum                                                                1.00

Honors,Gemini courses*                                                                    1.02

 

Advanced Placement  (AP)                                                                 1.05

 

*College Courses taught outside of Marcus Whitman will not be included in weight grading.

 

•    Un-weighted grade point averages(GPA) are established by calculating the final averages of all courses recorded on the transcript, divided by the number of credits each course is assigned.

 

•      Weighted grade point averages (WGPA) are a recalculation of the GPA.  The WGPA is calculated using the same formula described for GPA but after individual final course averages have been recalculated to reflect the level of rigor as defined in the three tier designations.  Averages will be determined to the nearest tenth.

 Example:          Student earned a 90% in Advanced Placement Level English 12:

90% is recorded on the un-weighted section of the transcript.

95% is recorded on the weighted section of the transcript. (90% X  1.05=94.5%)

 

 

•    This weighting is intended as encouragement and recognition for students who challenge themselves by taking the most rigorous courses available in the District.

 

•    When a class has been repeated, only the highest final grade will be used in calculating the grade point average.

 

 

•    The highest Regents Exam grade obtained in a course will be used in calculating a student's  final course average.

 

 

•    High School courses successfully completed while in middle school will be included in the GPA/WGPA calculation and documented on the transcript reflecting that the course was taken in Grade 8.

 

•    Transferred credits and grades from other school systems are detailed on the student's transcript based on official documentation received from previous school systems. Transferred credits and grades are used to calculate GPA/WGPA if from a New York State public institution.

 

Student transcripts shall include the following:

 

 

•    All credit-bearing courses taken and grades earned for those courses

•    Weighted and un-weighted GPA

•    Class Rank

•    PSAT, SAT and ACT scores

•    All State assessment scores

•    Total number of credits earned

•    Diploma type and date earned

 

All procedures for determining class rank and for computing grade point averages will be shared

with staff, parents, and students through publication in the Marcus Whitman Central School student agendas (for students in grades 6-12), and in the High School Course Handbook.