Policy 8015 Implementation Procedures - PreK-12 Promotion, Retention, and Accelerated Grade Placement

Implementation Procedures

I. Dissemination

The principal will inform all students, parents, and Howard County School System (HCPSS) employees of the provisions of this policy annually and at other times as appropriate. This includes, but is not limited to the following:

Publishing the information in school newsletters and websites.
Publishing the information in staff/student handbooks, etc.
Making the information available to new students and their parents through the registration process.

II. Promotion, Retention, and Accelerated Grade Placement

Consideration for Promotion Grades Pre–K-5
1. The principal will promote a student who achieves curriculum expectations.
2. A student receiving special education will be assessed based on the provisions of the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).
3. Parents may appeal a decision to promote to the appropriate Superintendent/designee.
Consideration for Retention Grades Pre-K–5
1. With input from the appropriate school/grade team and parent input, the principal can retain a student who fails to meet curriculum standards. The principal may also retain a student who is recommended by a school/grade team or parent for other reasons. The principal will consider whether the needs of the student are best met through retention and offer the parent an opportunity to be included in the decision-making process.
2. The principal will make a decision to retain based on a number of factors, which may include, but are not limited to the following:
  1. Academic achievement level
  2. Demonstrated progress in response to academic interventions
  3. Age of the student
  4. Previous retention(s)
  5. Attendance record
  6. Parental concerns
  7. Social and emotional developmental learning
  8. Health factors
  9. Report Card
  10. IEP
  11. Section 504 Plan
3. The IEP Team must convene a meeting to discuss the retention request. The purpose is to document considerations for the determination only. The IEP Team does not determine or approve retention. Information from the IEP Team meeting should be used to address the request for a diploma-bound special education student with an IEP.
4. Students considered for retention may be recommended to attend summer school.
5. Parents may appeal a decision regarding retention to the appropriate Superintendent/designee.
6. If a student is retained in the current grade, the instructional team for that grade will review any academic interventions provided to the student during the current academic school year and make revisions designed to accelerate the student’s pace of learning for the following year.
Consideration for Accelerated Grade Placement Grades Pre-K–5
1. A principal will, upon the recommendation of a school/grade team or parent, consider accelerating a student to an advanced full grade level when the student consistently demonstrates the ability to achieve at a higher level than expected in the curriculum standards as measured by quarterly, teacher-made and other assessments, and by teacher observations.
2. The principal will decide whether to move the student to an advanced full grade level based on a number of factors, which may include, but are not limited to the following:
  1. Academic achievement level
  2. Age of the student
  3. Previous accelerations
  4. Attendance record
  5. Parental concerns
  6. Social and emotional developmental learning
  7. Health factors
  8. Report card
  9. IEP
  10. Section 504 Plan
3. Students will not be accelerated to advanced grades against the wishes of their parent.
4. Parents may appeal a decision denying accelerated grade placement to the appropriate Superintendent/designee.
Consideration for MSDE Pre-K–3 Comprehensive Literacy Policy
1. Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties
  1. Each Pre-K–3 student who exhibits difficulties in reading will receive supplemental instruction aligned to their identified needs through a Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) which include:
  2. A proactive, school-wide framework for supporting and increasing academic, behavioral, and social emotional outcomes for all students with areas of concern;
  3. Program-specific monitoring tools that HCPSS will use to collect and analyze intervention data to make instructional decisions;
  4. Opportunities for students who are experiencing reading challenges to be identified early, receive targeted intervention to support their needs, and have their progress closely monitored over time;
  5. Home partnerships with parents as an integral part of the decision-making team;
  6. Supports that address a student’s identified needs with varying intensity and duration across the three (3) tiers; and
  7. Provisions such that student participation in any tier of this framework does not delay or deny a student who may be suspected of having a disability from the appropriate evaluation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
  8. All students including Multilingual Learners, Students with Disabilities, Students with a Student Reading Improvement Plan, etc. must be provided access to all levels of tiered instruction.
  9. Each Pre-K–3 student who exhibits difficulties in reading will receive supplemental instruction through a reading program aligned to the science of reading. The reading intervention program will:
    
    Be provided in addition to core reading instruction that is provided to all students in the general education classroom;
    
    Be implemented during regular school hours and will not impede students’ access to Tier I, grade-level aligned instruction;
    
    Be provided to all Pre-K–3 students demonstrating a reading difficulty or who need supplemental instruction in reading. This includes students with the risk factors of dyslexia as determined by an MSDE-approved assessment administered within the first thirty (30) days of school; and
    
    Be provided in an explicit, systematic, sequential manner, with cumulative instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics including decoding and encoding, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension, as applicable.
2. Parent Notification and Student Reading Improvement Plan (SRIP)
  1. Beginning in SY 2026-2027, any student in grades Pre-K–3 who meets the following criteria will receive a SRIP:
    
    Students who have been identified as demonstrating difficulties in reading at any time, based upon the MSDE vetted and approved assessment system,
    
    Students who have been identified for retention in Grade 3, and
    
    Any Grade 4 student promoted for a good cause or by parent consent.
  2. The SRIP will be developed no later than 30 days after identifying the reading difficulty.
  3. HCPSS will develop a process and procedures to notify the parent of any Pre-K–3 student who exhibits difficulty in reading at any time during the school year in writing. This notification must be written in family-friendly language and include the following:
    
    An explanation that their child has been identified as having difficulties in reading;
    
    A description of the current services provided to the child;
    
    A description of the proposed evidence-based reading interventions and supplemental instructional services and supports that will be provided to the child that are designed to remedy the identified area(s) of reading concern;
    
    An invitation to collaborate on the development of an individual reading improvement plan with the teacher, principal or designee, and/or other pertinent school personnel; and
    
    Notification for the possibility of retention – if the child’s reading issues are not remediated by the end of the grade level year and the child has received two (2) years of intensive reading intervention, the following may be considered: retention, good cause exemption designation and/or other established supports identified by the Division of Academics may be instituted. School principals must consider providing flexible grouping that will allow a student to receive Grade 3 reading interventions while receiving Grade 4 instruction in other content areas.
  4. The Student Reading Improvement Plan (SRIP) will:
    
    Be created by the teacher, principal or designee, and/or other pertinent school personnel in partnership with the parent;
    
    Describe the evidence-based reading intervention program the student will receive to remedy the reading deficit;
    
    Include the necessary frequency and intensity of interventions to remediate the identified areas of need and accelerate learning;
    
    Meet the requirements for core instruction and reading interventions outlined in Section III.B. above;
    
    Be reviewed and updated annually with the parent if a student exhibits the need for a reading intervention;
    
    Describe how each student will receive intensive reading intervention until the student no longer demonstrates difficulty in reading as determined by the HCPSS approved system of assessment; and
    
    Provide more intensified interventions to remedy specific area(s) of need and accelerate progress for any transfer or newly enrolled student identified with a reading difficulty.
    
    If a student has reading goals on their IEP, then the IEP will substitute for the development of a SRIP.
Demonstrated Readiness for Promotion (Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Comprehensive Literacy Policy) - Grade 3
1. Grade 3 students must demonstrate adequate reading proficiency on the MSDE-adopted State English Language Arts Assessment to be designated for promotion to Grade 4.
  1. Students will demonstrate the following to be designated for promotion to Grade 4:
    
    Scoring at or above the required performance level, indicating adequate reading proficiency on the Grade 3 MSDE-adopted State English Language Arts Assessment to be designated, or
    
    Scoring at or above the required performance level on an MSDE-approved reassessment, and
    
    Triangulated data from valid and reliable multiple measures, such as curriculum-based measures (CBMs), diagnostic assessments, and benchmark assessments, or other assessments as identified by MSDE. Screener data and/or benchmarks should not be used in isolation for promotion purposes.
2. A principal may designate a Grade 3 student for promotion to Grade 4 who does not demonstrate adequate reading proficiency if they qualify for a good cause exemption.
  1. Good cause exemptions will be limited to the following:
    
    Students with disabilities whose IEP indicates participation in the Maryland Alternate Education Framework.
    
    Students who have received less than two (2) years of instruction aligned to World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) standards or who have demonstrated to be on track to meet the English language proficiency as measured by WIDA.
    
    Students with disabilities who participate in the statewide English Language Arts assessment and who have an IEP or a Section 504 Plan that reflects that the student has received intensive reading intervention for at least two (2) years, but still demonstrates a reading difficulty, or was previously retained for one (1) year in kindergarten or in Grade 1, 2, or 3.
    
    Students who were previously retained for one (1) year in kindergarten or in Grade 1, 2, or 3. No student will be retained more than once as a result of this policy.
    
    A student who is designated for promotion to Grade 4 with a good cause exemption will continue to receive intensive reading intervention that includes specific reading strategies prescribed in the SRIP until the student no longer demonstrates reading difficulty.
  2. Requests to exempt students from the retention requirement using one of the good cause exemptions will be made consistent with the following:
    
    The school principal with input from the classroom teacher and other appropriate personnel will determine whether a student qualifies for good cause exemptions. If the school principal determines that the student has met one of the good cause exemptions, the school principal will provide the decisions made at the school level in writing to the district superintendent or designee.
3. A Grade 3 student who does not demonstrate adequate reading proficiency and does not qualify for a good cause exemption may be designated for retention in Grade 3 with parent consent.
  1. At the end of Grade 3, HCPSS and the school principal or designee will provide notification of the designation for promotion or retention and the informed consent process to the student’s parent.
  2. If a student is not designated for promotion to Grade 4, the notification must inform the parent of the process and options, which include:
    
    An invitation via phone call, letter, or email, etc., to meet to discuss the recommendation retention in Grade 3;
    
    A letter designating that the student may be retained in Grade 3, an explanation of the student’s current performance level in reading, and reference to the required adequate reading proficiency level required for promotion to Grade 4;
    
    An explanation of the potential risks and benefits of both promotion and retention for a child who does not demonstrate reading proficiency by the end of Grade 3.
    
    An MSDE-approved list of supplemental reading support program options for the parent to choose from at no cost to the parent such as specific summer school programs, before or after-school tutoring, or other instructional supports.
    
    A document that captures the parent’s final decision regarding the options to:
    
    Consent to the designation of retention in Grade 3, or
    
    Choose Grade 4 promotion and consent to their student enrolling and participating in a supplemental reading support program provided by HCPSS and approved by MSDE at no cost to the parent.
    
    In the case that a school does not receive a final decision regarding retention in Grade 3 from the parent, the school must continue reaching out to the parent through multiple means of communication, including, but not limited to mail, email, phone calls, and, if appropriate, home visits prior to the next school year.
    
    For situations where a parent cannot be contacted, communication via certified mail will be sent no later than June 30 and a follow-up by July 31 stating that the child will be retained in Grade 3.
4. Beginning in SY 2027-2028, students who remain in Grade 3 must continue to receive intensive reading intervention to remedy the student’s specific reading difficulty. HCPSS will conduct a review of SRIPs for all students retained. The review will address additional supports and services, as described in this subsection, needed to remedy the identified area(s) of reading difficulty. The district will provide the following for students:
  1. Access to core instruction that is aligned to the science of reading. Additional time for intervention will not impede students’ access to Tier I or core instruction.
  2. Reading intervention services and supports to address the identified area(s) of reading difficulty, including, but not limited to more dedicated time than the previous school year in evidence-based reading instruction and intervention.
  3. Use of reading strategies and/or programs that are scientifically evidence-based and have proven results in accelerating student reading achievement within the same school year.
  4. Daily targeted small group reading intervention based on student needs, including explicit and systematic instruction with more detailed explanations, more extensive opportunities for guided practice, and more opportunities for error correction and feedback.
  5. Frequently monitoring the reading progress of each student’s reading skills throughout the school year and adjusting instruction according to student needs.
  6. Before and/or after school supplemental evidence-based reading intervention delivered by a teacher or tutor with specialized training grounded in the science of reading.
  7. A “Read at Home” plan outlined in a family reading agreement, including participation in parent training workshops and/or regular parent-guided home reading activities which are aligned to scientifically based reading research.
Consideration for Promotion – Middle School
1. The principal may, upon the recommendation of a school/grade team, promote a student who achieves at or above grade/curriculum expectations towards curriculum standards in English, mathematics, science, and social studies as measured by teacher-made or selected assessments and by teacher observations.
2. A student receiving special education will be assessed based on the provisions of their IEP.
3. After consideration of all factors, including parent input, the principal will decide if promotion is appropriate. Parents may appeal a decision to promote to the Executive Director of Secondary Schools.
Consideration for Retention – Middle School
1. With input from the appropriate school/grade team, the principal will consider a student for retention when a student fails to meet standards appropriate for the grade level. The principal may also consider for retention a student who is recommended by a school/grade team or parent for other reasons. The principal must consider whether the needs of the student are best met through retention and offer the parent an opportunity to be included in the decision-making process.
2. The principal will make a decision about retention based on a number of factors, which may include, but are not limited to the following:
  1. Academic achievement level
  2. Demonstrated progress in response to academic interventions
  3. Age of the student
  4. Previous retention(s)
  5. Attendance record
  6. Parental concerns
  7. Developmental factors
  8. Health factors
  9. Emotional factors
  10. Report Card
  11. IEP, if applicable
  12. Section 504 Plan, if applicable (see Policy 9060 - Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Compliance: Section 504)
3. For students who receive special education services, the IEP Team will provide input to the administration regarding retention of a diploma-bound student.
4. The provisions of this policy do not apply to a student with an IEP who is scheduled to graduate with a certificate of completion rather than a diploma.
5. Any student who is not passing in English/Language Arts and/or mathematics at the end of Grade 8 (as shown on the student’s report card) will be required to participate in appropriate interventions, based on academic need as determined by the middle school principal. Interventions may include summer school, evening school, and other non-traditional course options and/or designated reading and/or mathematics intervention courses in Grade 9.
6. Parents may request retention in writing for the following school year from May 1 to June 30, or within 10 school days of entry to school from another school outside of HCPSS. The principal will respond within 20 school days. If the parent is not in agreement with the principal’s decision, the parent may appeal the principal’s decision in writing to the appropriate Director of Middle Schools within 10 school days of receipt of the principal’s response.
7. The Executive Director of Secondary Schools will notify the Executive Director of Student Well-Being, who will convene a cross-divisional committee to discuss the parent’s request. After reviewing the parent’s materials and the school’s materials, the team will share their feedback on the situation and the Executive Director of Secondary Schools will render a decision in writing within 15 school days of receiving the appeal. Retention is not appealable beyond the Executive Director of Secondary Schools.
8. If a student is retained in the current grade, the instructional team for that grade must review any academic interventions provided to the student during the current academic year and make revisions designed to accelerate the student’s pace of learning for the following year.
Consideration for Accelerated Grade Placement – Middle School
1. A principal may, upon the recommendation of a school/grade team or parent, consider accelerating a student to an advanced grade when they consistently demonstrate the ability to achieve at a higher level than expected in the essential curriculum as measured by quarterly, teacher made and other assessments, and by teacher observations.
2. The principal will decide whether to move the student to an advanced grade based on a number of factors, which may include, but are not limited to the following:
  1. Academic achievement level
  2. Age of the student
  3. Previous accelerations
  4. Attendance record
  5. Parental concerns
  6. Developmental factors
  7. Health factors
  8. Emotional factors
  9. Report card
  10. IEP, if applicable
  11. Section 504 Plan, if applicable (see Policy 9060 - Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Compliance: Section 504)
3. Students will not be accelerated to advanced grades against the wishes of their parent.
4. Parents may request acceleration in writing for the following year from May 1 to June 30, or within 10 school days of entry to school from another school outside of HCPSS. The principal will respond within 20 school days. If the parent is not in agreement with the principal’s decision, the parent may appeal the principal’s decision in writing to the appropriate Director of Middle Schools within 10 school days of receipt of the principal’s response.
5. The Executive Director of Secondary Schools will notify the Executive Director of Student Well-Being, who will convene a cross-divisional committee to discuss the parent’s request. After reviewing the parent’s materials and the school’s materials, the committee will share their feedback with the Executive Director of Secondary Schools who will render a decision in writing within 15 school days of receiving the appeal. Acceleration is not appealable beyond the Executive Director of Secondary Schools.
High School Promotions
1. To be promoted to Grade 10, students must have five (5) credits including one (1) English credit or one (1) mathematics credit and one (1) year of high school attendance.
2. To be promoted to Grade 11, students must have ten (10) credits including one (1) English credit and one (1) mathematics credit and two (2) years of high school attendance.
3. To be promoted to Grade 12, students must have fifteen (15) credits including two (2) English credits and two (2) mathematics credits, have successfully passed Health I and Lifetime Fitness, and three (3) years of high school attendance.
4. HCPSS students will graduate upon meeting high school requirements and are expected to graduate in four (4) years, when appropriate.
5. Promotion of students will be considered and updated by high schools at the end of the first semester, the end of the school year and after summer school to account for completion of non-traditional coursework.
6. Students transferring into Grade 12 from another school system, will still be considered to be seniors, even if they have not passed Health I and Lifetime Fitness, if they have met the other requirements.
7. High school grade level is based on credits earned and reassessed annually.

III. Data Reporting

HCPSS is required to submit an annual written report about the Pre-K–3 Comprehensive Literacy Policy to MSDE by September 1, detailing the following information about the prior school year:

The number and percentage of all students not promoted in Grades K-3 organized by grade level and student group;
The number and percentage of all students in Grades K-3 performing below grade level on local assessments organized by grade level and student group;
The total number and percentage of students who were promoted by parent consent and agreed to another support offered by the HCPSS;
The proposed supports and interventions delivered for students who were promoted by parent consent;
By grade level and student group, the total number and percentage of students receiving evidence-based intervention based on the reported assessment(s) by grade level;
Policies developed and HCPSS Board approved regarding promotion, retention, and the dissemination of information concerning SRIPs;
The total number and percentage of students in Grade 3 who were promoted for good cause, by each category of good cause as specified in previous sections; and
The total number and percentage of students in Grade 3 who demonstrated sufficient reading skills for promotion on an MSDE-identified additional reading assessment.

IV. Monitoring

Policy 8015 implementation procedures will be overseen by the Division of Academics.

V. History

ADOPTED: June 25, 2026

REVIEWED:

MODIFIED:

REVISED:

EFFECTIVE: July 1, 2026

Policy History Key

Adopted-Original date the Board took action to approve a policy
Reviewed-The date the status of a policy was assessed by the Superintendent’s Standing Policy Group
Modified-The date the Board took action to alter a policy that based on the recommendation of the Superintendent/designee did not require a comprehensive examination
Revised-The date the Board took action on a that policy based on the recommendation of the Superintendent/designee needed a comprehensive examination
Effective-The date a policy is implemented throughout the HCPSS, typically July 1 following Board action.