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District outlines outreach, assessments and appeals amid third‑grade retention law changes
Summary
District staff told the board they will continue summer programming planning while awaiting state guidance on third‑grade retention. Benchmark results will be shared with parents in early April; staff reported roughly 504 third graders were below the 40th percentile on a winter screener.
District and school staff updated the board on preparations tied to the new third‑grade retention law and parent communications.
School leaders said the legislative calendar had shifted, so some state guidance was delayed. Meanwhile, the district plans to proceed with summer programming options and tutoring while awaiting final state rules; staff said summer offerings and staffing depend on the district’s allocation from the state. Benchmark testing that most closely mirrors TCAP will be completed before spring break and the district expects to send parents benchmark results in early April. Staff cautioned that raw TCAP results will not be available until approximately May 26, which complicates late appeals and scheduling decisions.
Staff reported that about 504 third‑graders scored below the 40th percentile on a winter screener out of roughly 2,400 third‑grade students (about 18–20%). The district said the appeals process for retention is parent‑initiated through the Department of Education; district staff plan a broad communications campaign (mail, paper notices, parent nights and school‑level conferences) and targeted follow‑up to help families file appeals and access remediation resources. Special education students and English‑learner students were included in the below‑40 count; district staff said decisions for students with disabilities will be case‑by‑case and tied to IEP goals.
Board members asked about using Skyward or other parent portals to centralize communications and opt‑in/opt‑out notices; staff said they will explore options but emphasized the immediate priority is timely communications and parent conferences at individual schools.
Next steps: staff will finalize parent communications once state guidance is released, prioritize outreach to families of students identified as at risk, and continue planning summer Scholars and intervention programming.
