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Catalina Foothills reviews new transfer rules aimed at easing credit acceptance for foster students
Summary
At a Sept. 24 meeting the district presented first-reading changes to transfer and foster‑student admission policies to implement statutory changes from House Bill 2645: staff said they will use alternative competency assessments, meet students within 10 days to update graduation plans, and try to count prior credits as core when possible.
Cheryl Castro, the district's executive director of curriculum and assessment, outlined draft changes to the Catalina Foothills Unified School District's transfer-student policies during a first reading Tuesday night, emphasizing steps intended to reduce credit‑loss for students in foster care.
Castro said the revisions reflect statutory changes from House Bill 2645 and focus on four practical steps: (1) calculating and accepting full or partial academic credits from sending schools, (2) meeting with transfer students within 10 days to update graduation plans and provide written copies to students and guardians, (3) requiring complete educational records from the previous school, and (4) using competency assessments or other alternative methods to award credit when records are incomplete.
"Typically what happens is each student comes in with such different requirements," Castro said, explaining why the district will create competency assessments on a case-by-case basis and try to align prior coursework to core or elective categories at the enrolling school. She said counselors will meet with students and families to determine which credits have already been earned.
Castro also described a safeguard for older foster students: the draft language would allow the district not to require foster students enrolled in grades 11 or 12 to satisfy local graduation requirements that exceed those prescribed by the State Board of Education, to avoid imposing additional burdens during short enrollment windows.
District staff noted an internal table showing CFSD currently requires 24 academic credits for graduation compared with the state's 22-credit baseline; the table was shared with the board and will be included at second reading. Justin Robinson, a board advisor mentioned by Castro, reminded the board that the state civics test requirement will increase from 60 to 70 questions next year and that counselors will need to track civics-test completion as part of the credit evaluation.
Castro said the district typically enrolls fewer than 10 foster students in a given year, and that will inform how the policies are implemented. She also flagged a procedural question—whether the required 10‑day meeting is measured in calendar days or school days—and said she will confirm that detail with Dr. Erin Matajasik before the second reading.
The proposal was presented as a first reading; no formal board vote was taken Tuesday. District staff said the policies and corresponding regulations will return for a second reading and final action at the next board meeting.
