IKE-E FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN RETENTION

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IKE-E FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN RETENTION

When considering whether a student at any level should be retained or promoted, the following factors should be considered by researching the following questions through the utilization of all available resources.

A. Student Achievement
? What is the student’s pattern of achievement in relation to grade level and ability?
? What has been the pattern of academic achievement in the past? i.e. standardized
tests, grades, individual assessments.
? What specific skills does the student lack that would hinder success at the next grade
level?
? Does the student have an existing IEP or 504 plan?
? How do parents feel about achievement and daily performance?

B. Academic Potential
? Does this student possess the academic potential to benefit from retention?
? What valid documentation of academic ability for school learning tasks is available?
? What is the discrepancy between what the student does and what he/she should be able to
do?
? Is there a difference in potential in the various curriculum areas?
? How do the parents assess the student’s academic potential?

C. Attendance
? Has the student’s pattern of attendance (excess absence from school) affected his/her
progress?
? Has the student’s pattern of attendance been consistent over his/her school years?

D. Health
? Have special health problems affected the student’s achievement? (Long or short term
illness)
? Have vision, hearing and other physical characteristics been evaluated to determine
any underlying cause for the student’s status in school.

E. Maturity
? Is the student’s social development compatible with peers at a lower level vs. his/her
peers at grade level?
? Will the student’s future social development create problems?
? Is the student able to accept responsibility for his/her actions, decisions, and school
requirements commensurate with his/her age group?
? A consistent cycle of the student having difficulty at the beginning of a school year followed by increased success later in the year.
? They don’t seem to relate to their peer group.
? They play with students of a younger age.
? A feeling that they have the ability, there’s just something about them that you can’t put your finger on.
? Parents feeling that had they known what they know now, they never would have started them in kindergarten then.
?
F. Physical Size and Age in Relation to Grade Placement
? Will a student’s physical size make him/her stand out among his/her classmates?
? What is the student’s chronological age in relation to grade placement? Is there more
than two years difference?
? Has the student been retained at a previous grade level? What difference has it made?
? What is the student’s projected graduation age if retained?

G. Student Attitude
? How does the student perceive retention?
? What signs are there that the student is overly concerned about how his/her peers will
feel about him/her being retained?
? Does the student understand and accept the need for achievement of skills to advance
to other levels?
? How does the student feel about him/her self? Has this attitude been consistent
throughout school?
? Is there a consistent pattern the student’s relationship with teachers, i.e. personality
clashes, male vs. female authority figures, etc.?
? How is the student’s attitude about school different from his/her attitude about other
things?

H. Parent Attitude Toward Retention
? Do parents fully understand the reasons retention is being considered?
? Are the parents supportive of the need and potential benefits of an additional year at
a specified grade level?

I. Program Options
? What kind of different program, at a particular grade level, can be provided for this
student to insure there will not be a repetition of the same materials and program elements from the previous year if they repeat the grade?
? How will specific skill deficiencies be addressed in order insure mastery and readiness for the next level?
? What appropriate remedial programs are available at the next grade level?

J. Out of School Influences
? How many changes of school has the student experienced? At what grade
levels?
? Will there be siblings in the same grade, class or school if a student is retained?
? Are there family pressures (death, divorce, abuse) that have affected the student’s
learning? Will these conditions change in the next school year?
? How will peer pressure effect the student outside of school?

Cross Reference: IKE – Promotion, Retention and Acceleration of Students

Adopted: 8/2/2007, 3/1/2012