Promotion Standards: Introduction

Before elementary- and middle-school students in the Houston Independent School District are promoted to the next grade level, they must show that they have learned what the State of Texas requires of all public school children. Because HISD wants students to make academic progress, it is important that parents and students know what is needed to be promoted. The information presented here describes the academic measures used by HISD to determine whether students are promoted to the next grade level.

Parents are key partners in ensuring academic achievement, and HISD strongly encourages you to familiarize yourself with these promotion standards.

Use the links on the right side of the page to navigate through the standards. You may also visit the HISD Federal and State Compliance Department Web site or call the department at 713-556-6731.

The HISD testing calendar for 2009–2010, is available here.

CHANGES FOR 2009–2010: Third-grade students will still be required to pass the reading section of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) to be promoted to the fourth grade. However, the Texas Education Agency has determined that for 2009–2010, the test will be administered only once during the regular school year. This is a change from 2008–2009 when students were given two opportunities to pass the test during the regular school year. In 2009–2010, students who fail the test in the spring will need to attend summer school, where they will be given another opportunity to pass a TAKS release test.

Grades 1 and 2 Requirements and Procedures

Requirements
A. All students in grades 1 and 2 must meet the state course-average requirement of  a 70 overall grade-point average of all courses and the HISD requirement of a 70 or better grade-point average in reading, language arts, mathematics, and either science or social studies.

B. Students in grades 1 and 2 must earn a passing score on HISD's High-Frequency Word Evaluation.

C. All students in grades 1 and 2 must score at or above the standards set in reading on the Aprenda and Stanford tests for 2009–2010.

Aprenda Stanford (Raw Score for Total Reading)

Procedures
Schools must follow these procedures to determine whether students in grades1 and 2 will be promoted at the end of the school year:

• Students who fail to meet course-average requirements will be retained. If the student meets state course-average requirements at the end of summer school and was successful on requirements B and C, the student will be promoted.
• Students who fail to achieve requirement B or C but who have met course-average requirements will be retained and must attend summer school. After the student attends summer school, the Grade Placement Committee (GPC) will review achievement and determine whether the student will be promoted.
• Students who fail to demonstrate achievement on requirements B and C but who have met course-average requirements will be retained and must attend summer school. After the student attends summer school, the GPC will review achievement and determine whether the student will be promoted.
• Students who have met the academic promotion standards (A, B, and C) but have more than 7 percent unexcused absences will be retained. The principal (for students absent less than 25 percent of class days) or School Attendance Committee (for students absent more than 25 percent of class days) may grant credit to the student on the basis of information provided through a parental appeal process.

Note: Promotion decisions for students in Special Education will be made by the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Committee; the Grade Placement Committee makes promotion decisions for students with limited English proficiency in consultation with a member of the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee.

Grade 3 Requirements and Procedures

Requirements
Students in grade 3 must meet the following HISD promotion standards:

A. All students in grade 3 must meet the state course-average requirement of a 70 overall grade-point average of all courses and the HISD requirement of a 70 or better grade-point average in reading, language arts, mathematics, and either science or social studies.

B. Students in grade 3 must earn a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Asssessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).

C. All students in grade 3 must score at or above the standards set in reading on the Aprenda and Stanford tests for 2009–2010.

Aprenda Stanford (Raw Score for Total Reading)

Procedures
Schools will use state law and HISD local policy at the end of the school year to decide whether students in grade 3 will be promoted using the following guidelines:

• Students who fail to meet the state course-average requirements will be retained. If the student meets the course-average requirements at the end of summer school and was successful on requirements B and C, the student will be promoted.
  
• Students who fail to meet requirement B but who have met course-average requirements will be retained and must attend summer school. Third-grade students will have a second opportunity to meet the reading TAKS requirement at the end of summer school. A student who fails to earn a passing score on the reading section during one of the two administrations of the TAKS will be retained automatically. Only a parent may appeal this retention. A parent may request that the Grade Placement Committee (GPC) review achievement and determine whether the third-grade student will be promoted on the basis of results of the second administration of the TAKS test. The decision of the GPC must be unanimous in order for the student to be promoted.
  
• Students who fail to meet requirement C but who have met course-average requirements will be retained and must attend summer school. After the student attends summer school, the GPC will review achievement and determine whether the student will be promoted.
  
• Students who have met the academic promotion standards (A, B, and C) but have more than 7 percent unexcused absences will be retained. The principal (for students absent less than 25 percent of class days) or School Attendance Committee (for students absent more than 25 percent of class days) may grant credit to the student on the basis of information provided through a parental appeal process.

Note: Promotion decisions for students in Special Education will be made by the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Committee; the Grade Placement Committee makes promotion decisions for students with limited English proficiency in consultation with a member of the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee.

Grades 4–8 Requirements and Procedures

Requirements
A. All students in grades 4–8 must meet the state course-average requirements of a 70 overall grade-point average of all courses and the HISD requirement of a 70 or better grade-point average in reading, language arts, mathematics, and either science or social studies in grades 4 and 5. In grades 6–8 students must earn a grade-point average  an average of 70 or above in three of the four core courses: language arts (average of reading and English), mathematics, science, and social studies.

B. All students in grades 4–8 must earn a passing score on the reading and mathematics sections of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). All students in grades 5 and 8, on one of the three testing opportunities provided, must earn a passing score on the reading and mathematics sections of the TAKS.

C. All students in grades 4 through 8 must score at or above the standards set for that school year in reading and math on the norm-referenced tests for 2009–2010.

Aprenda Stanford (Raw Score)

Procedures
Schools will use the policy to decide promotion at the end of the school year following these guidelines:

• Students who fail to meet course-average requirements will be retained. If the student meets state course-average requirements at the end of summer school and was successful on requirements B and C, the student will be promoted.
  
• Students who fail to achieve requirement B or C but who have met course-average requirements will be retained and must attend summer school. Fifth- and eighth-grade students will have a third opportunity to pass the reading and mathematics TAKS requirements at the end of summer school. A student who fails to earn a passing score on either the reading or math section during one of the three TAKS administrations will be automatically retained, as required by state law. Only a parent may appeal this retention. A parent may request that the Grade Placement Committee (GPC) review achievement and determine whether the fifth- or eighth-grade student will be promoted on the basis of results of the third administration of the TAKS test. The decision of the GPC must be unanimous in order for the student to be promoted.
  
• Students who fail to demonstrate achievement on requirements B and C in either reading or mathematics but who have met course-average requirements will be retained and must attend summer school. After summer school, the GPC will review achievement and determine whether the student will be promoted.
  
• Students who have met the academic promotion standards (A, B, and C) but have more than 7 percent unexcused absences will be retained. The principal (for students absent less than 25 percent of class days) or School Attendance Committee (for students absent more than 25 percent of class days) may grant credit to the student on the basis of information provided through a parental appeal process.

Note: Promotion decisions for students in Special Education will be made by the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Committee; the Grade Placement Committee makes promotion decisions for students with limited English proficiency in consultation with a member of the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee.

School/District Assistance

As soon as a student’s performance indicates that he or she might not be promoted to the next grade level, classroom teachers and/or school/district specialists will take steps to help the student improve. Teachers will communicate with parents regarding student progress and improvement plans. Parents must work with the school to help their children meet promotion standards.

Family Role
To help your child meet promotion standards:

• Ask your child daily about what he/she did in school.
• Ask about and follow homework study plans.
• Plan family learning activities to reinforce your child’s learning.
• Make and use oral or written contracts with your child and his/her teachers.
• Participate in school events so that your child knows you think school is important.
• Attend teacher-parent conferences regularly.
• Be sure that children are in school every day for the full day.
• Make your child’s medical or dental appointments during nonschool hours.
• Read with your child for at least 30 minutes every night.
• Be sure that your child regularly gets a full night’s sleep and eats a good breakfast.

Student Role
To meet promotion standards, students should:

• Follow homework study plans.
• Attend school regularly and be on time.
• Bring supplies to class and be organized by:
  • Writing down assignments in a notebook.
  • Setting aside homework time each day.
  • Creating a special place at home to put school materials for the next day.
• Ask questions when they do not understand what is being taught.
• Ask teachers for extra help and attend after-school/Saturday tutorials, if available.
• Respect themselves, other students, and school authorities.

Quick Reference Card

The Houston Independent School District uses three different academic measures to decide whether a student will be promoted to the next grade level. They are course grades, a local or state test (High-Frequency Word Test or Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)), and a nationally norm-referenced test (Stanford or Aprenda). Please note that attendance may also affect promotion to the next grade level, since students may have no more than seven percent unexcused absences during the school year.