5410 - PROMOTION, ACCELERATION, PLACEMENT, AND RETENTION

The Board of Education recognizes that the personal, social, physical, and educational growth of children will vary and that they should be placed in the educational setting most appropriate to their needs at the various stages of their growth.

A transcript or other credential provided by a public school program, private school program, homeschool program, microschool program, or HOPE scholarship program shall be accepted by the County as a record of a student’s previous academic performance for the purposes of placement and credit assignment.

It shall be the policy of the Board that each student be moved forward in a continuous pattern of achievement and growth that is in harmony with his/her own development. The teacher's recommendation relating to whether a student should be promoted to the next grade level shall be a primary consideration when making such determination.

PROMOTION

A student shall be promoted to the succeeding grade level when s/he has:

completed the course and State-mandated requirements at the presently assigned grade;
in the opinion of the professional staff, achieved the instructional objectives set for the present grade;
demonstrated sufficient proficiency to permit him/her to move ahead in the educational program of the next grade;
demonstrated the degree of social, emotional, and physical maturation necessary for a successful learning experience in the next grade.

ACCELERATION AND PLACEMENT

A student may be accelerated when his/her demonstrated achievement, as well as measured ability, significantly exceeds that of his/her grade level peers. Consideration may be given to promoting him/her to a grade other than the next succeeding one, or permitting him/her to enroll in a course other than the next one in the academic sequence. A student shall be accelerated in this manner when s/he has:

achieved the grade/course objectives and State-mandated requirements, if applicable, for the grade/course in which s/he is presently enrolled as well as for the grades(s)/course(s) that will be skipped;
in the opinion of the professional staff, achieved the instructional objectives set for the present grade/course as well as the succeeding one(s);
demonstrated sufficient proficiency to permit him/her to be accelerated in the educational program;
demonstrated the degree of social, emotional, and physical maturation necessary for a successful learning experience in the grade/course to which s/he shall be promoted or enrolled.

RETENTION

A student may be retained at his/her current grade level when s/he has:

in the opinion of the professional staff, failed to demonstrate proficiency;
in the opinion of the professional staff, failed to achieve the instructional objectives set forth at the current grade level that are requisite for success at the succeeding grade level.

A student may be placed at the next grade level when retention would no longer serve any good purpose.

Beginning July 1, 2026, third-grade students who demonstrate a minimal understanding of grade-level English language arts (ELA) or mathematics as indicated on the West Virginia General Summative Assessment (WVGSA) shall upon the recommendation of the classroom teacher, the Student Assistance Team (SAT), and the Individual Education Program (IEP) team (if applicable) be retained for the next school year. "Minimal understanding" is defined as achieving a score in the "does not meet standard" range for ELA, mathematics, or both subjects on the WVGSA. The recommendation for retention will be made based on the student’s score on the WVGSA, proficiency with the subject matter, and preparedness for the next grade level. Before recommending a third-grade student for retention, the following eight (8) exemptions outlined in state code must be considered. If an exemption to retention is applicable, parents should be notified that the student scored as having minimal understanding of grade level material, but that retention is not recommended based on the exemption.

Exemption 1: A student with disabilities whose IEP indicates participation in the statewide alternative summative assessment.
Exemption 2: A student with disabilities who participates in the statewide summative assessment, has an Individual Education Program or Section 504 plan that reflects that the student has received intensive intervention for more than two (2) years (seven [7] continuous benchmark assessment periods) and still demonstrates a deficiency or who was previously retained in any of the grades kindergarten through grade three (3), making this third grade retention the second retention.
Exemption 3: A student who is in the process of a special education referral or evaluation for placement in special education, has been diagnosed as having a significant impairment, including dyslexia or dyscalculia, or is a child with a disability if the student’s individualized education program team and the student’s parent or guardian agree that promotion is appropriate based on the student’s Individualized Education Program.
Exemption 4: A student identified as an English language learner who has had less than three (3) years instruction in English as a second language.
Exemption 5: A student who has received intensive intervention for two (2) or more years, still demonstrates a deficiency, and who was previously retained in any of the grades kindergarten through grade three (3) for a total of two (2) years: Provided, That the student shall continue to receive intensive intervention in grade four (4).
Exemption 6: A student who demonstrates an acceptable level of performance on an alternative standardized assessment approved by the State Board (the third grade WVGSA – West Virginia General Summative Assessment).
Exemption 7: A student who attends an extended year learning program following the third grade and has attained proficiency on an alternative standardized assessment approved by the State Board (the third grade WVGSA – West Virginia General Summative Assessment).
Exemption 8: A student may receive a good cause exemption if the parent or guardian submits a request within the deadline set by the County Board, and the Superintendent, or their designee, determines that the exemption is in the student’s best interest. The good cause exemption is intended for special circumstances where promotion may be appropriate even when a student has minimal understanding as reflected on the WVGSA, attended extended year summer learning opportunities, and retook the WVGSA when provided the second opportunity. However, it is not designed to override a teacher’s professional judgment, which will include factors beyond assessment (WVGSA) scores, such as a student’s overall mastery of content, classroom performance, and readiness for the next grade.

Students who are third graders in the 2026-27 school year would require promotion/retention recommendations and decisions prior to the beginning of the 2027-28 school year.

A student may be placed at the next grade level when retention would no longer serve any good purpose.

The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines for promotion, acceleration, placement, and retention of students that:

require the recommendation of the relevant staff members for promotion, acceleration, placement, or retention;
require that parents are informed in advance of the possibility of retention of a student at a grade level;
require that the parent(s) give their consent to the acceleration of their child;
assure that efforts shall be made to remediate the student's difficulties before s/he is retained;
assign to the principal the responsibility for determining the promotion, acceleration, placement, or retention of each student;
provide parents the opportunity to request the acceleration, assignment, or retention of their child;
review of standardized testing results given by school psychologist and/ or evaluator to determine current academic level.

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Legal

WV Code 18-5-46
West Virginia Board of Education policy 2510

Harrison County Board of Education