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PI28 Identification of Students Needing Remediation and Academic Improvement Plans

Background

In 2000, the New Mexico Legislature amended the Public School Code at 22-2-8.6 NMSA to require public school districts to identify students who were failing to attain State defined levels of proficiency in the content standards. School districts are also required to notify parents or legal guardians that the student is failing to attain required levels of proficiency and establish a plan to address remediation. The cost of remediation in grades one through eight must be borne by the school district. Any student in grades one through eight who fails to attain the required level of proficiency for two successive school years must be referred for placement in an alternative program designed by the school district.

Identification of Students

RDA will produce and distribute reports to all elementary and middle schools that identify students who have failed to attain the state required proficiency levels in the content standards as determined by prior year's assessments that address the content standards developed by the State Department of Education. RDA has developed guidelines by which schools will determine a student's need for remediation based on:

  1. Statewide assessment results, and
  2. Alternative school-district-determined assessment results, and
  3. Student performance in school.

Notification of Parents and Remediation Conference

Schools are responsible for notification of parents/guardians of students who have been identified as failing to attain proficiency and in need of remediation. This notification must occur no later than the end of the second grading period, or the end of the fall semester, whichever occurs earlier. At the time of notification the school will hold a conference to be attended by the student's parent/guardian, the student, the student's teacher(s). The student's specific academic deficiencies and remediation strategies will be discussed.

Academic Improvement Plan - Level I

At the remediation conference, a written plan, called the Academic Improvement Plan - Level I, will be developed which addresses the remediation program, the academic expectations, timelines and the measures that will be used to assess student progress on the academic improvement plan. That plan may include, tutoring, extended day/week programs, other research-based models for student improvement, and other specialized program plans where applicable. A copy of the plan will be given to the parent/guardian and a copy placed in the cumulative record file.

Promotion and retention decisions affecting special education students shall be made in accordance with the provisions of the individual educational plan (IEP) established for that student. The individual educational plan will be the academic improvement plan for all special education students.

Level I Outcomes

At the end of the school year, two options are available, depending upon the student's attainment of the state required level of proficiency:

  1. The student has attained the required level of proficiency and will be promoted to the next grade level, or 
  2. The student has not attained the required level of proficiency and shall be referred to the School Support Team where an Academic Improvement Plan-Level II will be developed.

Academic Improvement Plan Level II

When a student has not attained the required level of proficiency by the end of the school year, the School Support Team will meet with the parent/guardian and student to develop an enhanced Academic Improvement Plan - Level II. This plan may include many different remediation strategies including possible attendance at an APS provided summer program.

Level II Outcomes, Grades 1 - 7

At the end of the school year for grades one through seven:

  1. If the student achieves the required level of proficiency during the summer program, the student will be promoted to the next grade level, or 
  2. If the student has not attained the required level of proficiency from implementation of the Level II Academic Improvement Plan, the certified instructor and school principal will recommend retention. If retention is recommended the student will be either:
    1. Retained in the same grade for no more than one additional school year with continued implementation of the Level II Academic Improvement Plan, or
    2. Promoted to the next grade level if the parent refuses to allow the child to be retained. In this case, the parent must sign a waiver of the retention recommendation that indicates his insistence that the student be promoted with continued implementation of the Level II Academic Improvement Plan. Should the waivered student fail to attain the required level of proficiency of content standards by the end of the subsequent year, the student will be retained in that grade for no more than one year. A parent may not waive this retention recommendation.

Grade 8

At the end of the eighth grade, any student who fails to attain the required level of proficiency shall be retained no more than one school year and an Academic Improvement Plan - Level II developed. A parent or guardian may not waive an eighth grade student to high school. If the School Support Team determines that retention in the eighth grade will not assist the student in attaining proficiency, the Team may certify the student for promotion to high school. If the student is certified for promotion to high school, the School Support Team, along with a representative from the receiving high school, shall develop a high school graduation plan to meet the student's needs for entry into the workforce or a post-secondary educational institution.

Cross Ref.: Board Policy I.01: Instructional Program

NSBA/NEPN Classification: IHBDA

Legal Ref. 22-2-8.6 NMSA

Approved: December 18, 2000

This page was last updated on: December 9, 2009.