Beloit schools revise third‑to‑fourth grade promotion policy to align with Wisconsin Act 20; board committee seeks feedback

Missy Beavers, district administrator, presented proposed revisions to the district’s third‑to‑fourth grade promotion policy on Feb. 18 to align the School District of Beloit with Wisconsin Act 20 and Department of Public Instruction guidance.

Beavers summarized the state requirement that boards adopt a promotion policy that considers reading ability when promoting students from third to fourth grade and that schools must provide continued support when students are promoted without meeting reading expectations. The draft language the district shared says, in part, that a student “identified as below the 25th percentile in reading achievement as measured by the approved state screener must demonstrate adequate progress made towards an established personal reading plan in compliance with Wisconsin Act 20.” If a student fails to make adequate progress, the school and district will “initiate a comprehensive process to determine whether the student will be promoted to fourth grade,” the draft says.

Why it matters: Act 20 requires districts to adopt promotion policy language and to prioritize student‑centered decisions in collaboration with families while also documenting personal reading plans and supports. Beavers said the district’s draft collapses a previous rule and the policy into a single document and incorporates state guidance; a separate guidance attachment was prepared to sit in the district’s equitable multi‑level systems of support (EMLSS) guidebook.

Board discussion: Board members and administrators emphasized the policy’s team‑based decision making and the use of multiple data points (screeners, diagnostics and classroom data). Board member Tom Hankins and others praised the draft as a blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches; district staff said principals and EMLSS teams will lead placement decisions and intervention assignments. Administrator Tony Lascaux noted the guidance will script a process for collaborative discussions at the building level and enable targeted interventions.

Process and timing: Superintendent Doctor Garrison said the district will solicit committee feedback before moving the policy to the policy committee for approval; Beavers noted DPI expects districts to have promotion policies in place by July 1 under Act 20.