Forsyth County Schools Seeks Input on Proposed Changes to Student Promotion, Retention

Forsyth County Schools has drafted a new version of its student promotion and retention policies, and is seeking feedback on the new rules from stakeholders in the community.

The proposed “IHE” policy is significantly shorter and less detailed than the policy currently in effect, owing to Forsyth County Schools’ impending adoption of the Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) performance contract. IE2 gives individual schools much more flexibility compared to the current state standards, but demands higher accountability from each school inside the system.

The proposed IHE policy follows the IE2 guidelines by stipulating that each school can set its own rules and regulations regarding the promotion or retention of students in grades 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7. Teachers will use several different assessments to determine whether or not each student will be able to perform at an adequate level at the end of the school year.

If the teacher believes the student will not meet the standard by the end of the year, he or she will begin remediation programs to help get the student back on track. If it appears as if the student will need to be held back, the teacher’s decision will be reviewed by school officials. The student’s parents will also be warned of the impending retention and can speak with the teacher regarding the issue.

All decisions on promotion or retention can be appealed to the superintendent or a delegate chosen by the superintendent. These appeal decisions are final.

Students in grades 3, 5, and 8 will still need to complete state-mandated assessments in order to advance to the next grade level.

If you would like to comment on the proposed promotion and retention policy proposed by Forsyth County Schools, please visit this link.