Failing students could be 'promoted with conditions'

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

Students in grades three, five and seven who fail to pass the state's mandated Criterion-Referenced Competency Test for moving to the next grade could still get promoted "with conditions" under a proposal being considered by the Fayette County Board of Education.

Pam Riddle, Assistant Superitendent for Curriculum, told board members Monday that the change in school system policy that allows for "promotion with condition" was unique to Fayette County schools. Instead of automatically retaining those students who do not pass the CRCT on the second try, the school principal, parents and teacher will work with the child to come up with a plan of remedial study, certified tutoring or summer school work that puts them back on course for the next school year.

The "promotion with condition" will be applied on a case-by-case basis, Riddle explained.

The revised policy also reduces the number of days a child can miss in one school year from 30 to 15, at which point a student "may be retained" unless the absences are excused or the student otherwise proves mastery of the subject matter.

Superintendent John DeCotis said the new policy also addresses the retainment of students who actually pass everything, saying many parents often ask for their child particularly boys to be held back for "maturity" reasons.

In years past, he said, it was common for male athletes to repeat a year in order to improve their performance on the football field. The revision says students "must fail to attain 70 percent mastery" on more than one subject to be held back.

The proposed revision in policy is available for public inspection at the School Board offices, 210 Stonewall Avenue West. The board will vote on the change later this month.

Riddle explained that her office is late in bringing the proposal to the board because it was hoped the state would drop plans to implement the third-grade reading portition of the competency exam for next year. But the drawn-out legislative session ended without any significant changes in the education reform efforts implemented under former Gov. Roy Barnes.

"There were concerns around the state that this was excessive and going to be done away with," said Riddle. "But they didn't."