503.01
STUDENTS
Promotion and Non-Promotion Practices in Elementary Schools
General Requirements
Promotion practices in the District shall have as their objective the placement
of each student in an environment at which maximum development shall occur.
Parents shall be kept informed if a student's progress does not meet the
expectations for the grade level to which the student is assigned. A student may
be retained if, in the opinion of the professional staff, academic success would
not be possible at the next grade level.
Promotions in the elementary schools shall be based on academic progress and
consideration of the best interests of students. An assessment shall be made
regarding any student who is not maintaining desired academic growth to
determine the appropriate long-term or short-term assistance. Parental
involvement shall be encouraged as soon as possible whenever a student is not
progressing academically.
Second Grade Literacy Requirement
If reading assessments administered at the end of second
grade reveal a student has failed to achieve the second grade reading standard,
that student will be required to complete a District-provided summer reading academy or
participate in another summer reading intervention approved by the building
principal and reading specialist.
Students who fail to meet the second grade
reading standard after completion of either type of summer reading intervention
may be retained, with the exception of students governed by an IEP.
Second
grade students identified for participation in the summer reading academy who
neither participate in the academy nor complete an approved alternative program
may also be retained, with the exception of students governed by an IEP.
Parents will be included in
conferences with the principals and other team
members as they discuss what should be done in the
best interest of the child.
503.02
STUDENTS
Scholastic Probation
DELETED 9/17/07
503.03
STUDENTS
Student Progress Reports and Conferences
Elementary
Regularly scheduled conferences and Student Progress Reports shall be the basic
means of reporting student progress to parents or legal guardians of students in
grades K-5. Teachers are required to hold at least one round of parent
conferences during first semester. Parents or guardians or staff members may
request additional conferences at any time during the school year. A Student
Progress Report shall be provided a minimum of once each grading period.
Secondary
Regularly scheduled conferences and report cards shall be the basic means of
reporting student progress to parents or legal guardians of students in grades
6-12. Teachers are required to provide time for at least one round of parent
conferences during first semester. Parents or guardians or staff members may
request additional conferences at any time during the school year. Report cards
shall indicate the letter grades (A, B, C, D, or F) earned by students during
each grading period. These report cards shall be sent home with students.
503.06
STUDENTS
Student Records –
Cumulative and Permanent
For the purposes of this policy, the District shall
use the following definitions of terms:
-
Student…any
person who attends or has attended a school in
the District.
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Eligible student…a
student or former student who has reached age
eighteen (18) or is attending a post-secondary
school full-time or with the equivalent of
twelve (12) semester hours. A student who has
not graduated from high school shall be presumed
as a dependent of his or her parents until such
time as satisfactory evidence to the contrary is
presented to school officials.
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Parent…natural
or adoptive parent of the student, a guardian,
or an individual acting as a parent or guardian
in the absence of the student’s natural or
adoptive parent or guardian.
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Records…any
record (in handwriting, print, tape, file, data
files, or other medium) maintained by the
District or an agent of the District which is
directly related to a student with the exception
of those listed in the District Regulations
503.06A.
Collection, dissemination, and
retention of all student information shall be
controlled by procedures which comply with state and
federal laws and guidelines; to protect the rights
of the individual; and to emphasize the concept of
the free flow of information between parent,
student, and school.
The Office of the Director of
Assessment/Equity/Record Services shall be
responsible for all records maintained at the
district level and a district-level record custodian
shall be designated by the Director as the
district-level Record Manager. The custodian of the
student records shall make maximum provisions for
protection of student records from review by
unauthorized personnel and for maximum physical
security of such student records.
Records containing personally identifiable
information are kept private at collection, storage,
disclosure, and destruction stages. Four (4) years
after the student transfers/drops or graduates from
the District, selected data, from the Cumulative
Record Folder, which has permanent usefulness, shall
be transferred and archived electronically to become
the student’s Permanent Record under the province of
the Director of Assessment/Equity/Record Services.
During the District’s regular business hours,
records of a student shall be reasonably accessible
to the parent(s) of the student. Other than the
parent(s) only authorized school personnel,
authorized government officials, and the student may
access these records without the approval or the
notification of the student’s parent(s) or subpoena.
Once the student has reached the majority age of
eighteen (18), or he/she is attending a
post-secondary educational institution, access to
the records by the student’s parent(s) or others
must be with the permission of the student. Students
of this status can be referred to as “eligible”
students. Directory information is exempted from
this process and shall be identified on a yearly
basis in each school’s handbook.
Fees for copies of the records are waived if it
would prevent the parent(s) or student from
accessing the records. In all other cases, a fee may
be charged to search, retrieve, or copy information.
If the parent(s) or eligible student believes the
information in the Permanent/Cumulative Record is
inaccurate, misleading or violates the privacy or
other rights of the student, the parent(s) or
eligible student may request that the District amend
the record. The District will then determine whether
the request for amendment is or is not appropriate
according to set procedures.
The Administration shall establish guidelines for
the use of Permanent/Cumulative Folders. The
Administration shall adhere to all requirements of
Privacy Laws of the United States Government. Annual
notice will be provided the parent(s) or legal
guardian(s) and eligible students of the rights
accorded them by law, provision of the Code of Iowa,
requirements of the Department of Public
Instruction, and guidelines of the North Central
Association of Schools and Colleges. In addition,
the building principal shall ensure that the school
staff under the principal’s jurisdiction receives
periodic instruction and training regarding the
privacy rights of students and parents.
Specific to Cumulative Records:
The District shall maintain a Cumulative Record
Folder for each student. The folder shall be started
upon student’s entry into the District and shall be
a continuous and current record of significant
information regarding a student’s progress and
growth. This folder shall contain confidential
information and shall be used according to the
highest ethical and professional standards.
Cumulative Record Folders may include general and
observational data. Documents include the following:
A. General Data
-
Health Information
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Family background data
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Standardized aptitude and
achievement scores
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Vocational interest inventory
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Educational and vocational
plans
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Honors and activities
B. Observational Data
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Objective counselor or
teacher rating
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Curriculum reports
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Discipline data
The Cumulative Record Folder
shall be reviewed periodically, particularly when a
student moves from elementary school to intermediate
school and from intermediate school to senior high
school, or when the student transfers out of the
District.
The principal is ultimately responsible for
classifying, maintaining, reviewing, and deleting
cumulative and tentative student records, and
granting or denying access to student records on the
basis of the procedures set forth in District
Regulation. (All students under legal age shall have
reasonable access to their records. Withholding any
material from the minor student must be
educationally justifiable or a result of parent
request). Upon the request of parent(s) or a
student, the District will provide an explanation
and interpretation of the student records and a list
of the types and locations of education records
collected, maintained, or used by the District.
A student record may contain personally identifiable
information on more than one student… such as a
disciplinary referral form, etc. Parents will have
the right to access the information relating to
their student or to be informed of the information.
Eligible students will also have the right to access
the information relating to them, or be informed of
the information.
A building Record Manager, under the supervision of
the building principal, shall be the custodian of
all student records at the building level. The
building principal shall ensure that the school
staff under his/her jurisdiction receives periodic
instruction and training regarding the privacy
rights of students and parents.
Specific to Permanent Records
Four (4) years after the student transfers/drops or
graduates from the District, selected data, from the
Cumulative Record Folder, which has permanent
usefulness, shall be transferred and archived
electronically to become the student’s Permanent
Record under the province of the Director of
Assessment/Equity/Record Services.
Permanent Records shall be maintained in perpetuity.
Updating is to be done as changes occur. For
purposes of security, permanent records shall be
maintained on computer files, on microfilm, or in
fire proof file cabinets at locations separate from
other student records. The permanent record shall
serve as a historical record of official information
concerning the student’s education. The permanent
record should contain the following:
-
Health Information –
Immunization Records
-
Identification demographics –
name, gender, birth date, address, parent(s)
name and address, telephone number
-
Race/Ethnicity
-
Standardized aptitude and
achievement scores
-
Evidence of Attendance
-
Evidence of educational
progress
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Official Transcript
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Date of graduation or
withdrawal
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Report of support services
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Discipline data – only if
drug, alcohol or violence related
District administration shall
cause to be published, in appropriate publications,
notification of the rights accorded students and
parents under school rules governing student
records.
503.07
STUDENTS
Honors and Awards
Any regularly enrolled student may be considered for honors or awards
presented by the school. Qualifications for such awards shall be established
by the principal and designated sponsors.
Each high school shall provide an honors recognition program for students.
Grades earned in Home Instruction will be considered with
the rest of the grades from the parent high school in recognition of honor
students. Any home instruction pupil qualifying for participation in the
honors assembly may do so, providing a doctor's statement has been submitted
to Home Instruction one week prior to the assembly.
503.09
STUDENTS
Credits Earned in a Foreign School
The District will grant
high school credits to students for courses completed in a foreign school
or for credits earned through the American Field Service International Program
or other qualified programs.
The administration shall establish guidelines for implementation of this
policy. The guidelines shall be written to comply with all requirements of
the Code of Iowa, Iowa Department of Education, and the North Central Association
of Colleges and Schools.
503.10
STUDENTS
Credits Earned in "Upward Bound" Program
The District will award
high school credit to students completing the Upward Bound Program. This
credit shall be granted as elective credit and shall have a maximum of one
unit, (given as 2 half credits) for each summer in the program.
The Board emphasizes that this is elective credit only. All
core courses and requirements must be successfully completed for graduation
from a Davenport high school.
503.11
STUDENTS
Graduation Requirements
Satisfactory school
citizenship and twenty six (26) units in grades nine
through twelve, including passing work in physical
education in grades nine through twelve, are
required for graduation from the Davenport High
Schools.
Basic requirements
within the twenty six units (26) to be completed in
grades nine through twelve are:
-
Language Arts:
Four units (8 terms)
-
Mathematics:
Three units (6 terms)
-
Science:
Three units (6 terms)
-
Social
Studies: Three units (6 terms)
-
Physical Education:
Two units (4 terms) Includes Lifetime
Fitness Education*
-
Computer Technology
Course
Additional requirements:
- Maintain a
full schedule through the third year
- Retake a failed class in
summer school or during the following school
year
- All Physical
Education courses will be assigned .5 units for
each student who earns a passing grade within the
Physical Education curriculum. Students at the
Kimberly Center are allowed an exemption from the
Physical Education requirement.
- The new
graduation requirements will be fully implemented
with the students who were in eighth grade during
the 2004-2005 school year. It is intended
that these students, as seniors would realize the
full intent of the new graduation requirements.
Credit for Physical Education will be phased in.
The class of 2007 will
need 21.0 units to graduate, and the class of 2008
will need 21.5 units to graduate.
- On-line AP
courses will count toward the elective credit of
the graduation requirement as long as the course
supplements what we currently offer and does not
supplant our curriculum.
Non-traditional
graduations are addressed in Board Policy
#503.14--Non-Traditional Graduation and include
guidelines for mid-term and summer graduations, home
instruction graduation, and accelerated graduation.
Based on these
adopted requirements, the administration shall
identify goals, objectives, and procedures in each
subject area as well as the methods or means for
evaluation. The Board approves all basic
instructional materials used in each area in
fulfilling the above requirements. In all cases, the
administration is responsible for ensuring that
graduation requirements meet or exceed all minimum
requirements established by the Code of Iowa and the
Iowa Department of Education.
*(The Lifetime
Fitness Education course contains a health
component.)
-
Cross References:
Board Policies
#503.14 Non-Traditional Graduation
-
Legal References:
Chapter 12 (Iowa Administrative Code, Rules of
Iowa, 281-12.5(256) Educational Programs
-
By action of the
Board: 11/8/76; Revised 7/11/83, 11/12/90;
Revised 6/10/96; Revised 12/8/97; Revised
1/08/01; Revised 10/11/04; Revised 12/20/04;
Revised 8/14/06
-
Edited
8/06
503.12
STUDENTS
Junior Achievement
The Board supports the
participation of Junior Achievement and the business
community in the elementary, intermediate, and high
school classrooms.
503.13
STUDENTS
Accelerated Graduation
Policy Deleted 12/20/04 (Combined with 503.14)
503.14
STUDENTS
Non-Traditional Graduation
Mid-Term and Summer Graduation
Any student who completes all requirements for high school graduation at
mid-term or at the end of summer session shall, at the student's request, be
awarded a high school diploma immediately. A student receiving a diploma
in this manner shall, upon the student's request, be allowed to take part in the
next scheduled graduation ceremony.
Home Instruction Graduation
Any graduating senior currently on Home Instruction may participate in the
graduation exercises to receive the diploma, providing a doctor's statement has
been submitted to the Home Instruction Department one week prior to commencement
stating such participation is physically possible. Those not
participating will receive their diploma, by request, at the principal's office
of their respective high school after the date of commencement exercises.
Accelerated Graduation Generally
students will be required to complete the necessary
course work and graduate from high school at the end
of grade twelve. Students may graduate prior to this
time if they meet theminimum graduation requirements
stated in board policy. A student
who graduates early will no longer be considered a
student and will become an alumnus of the District.
However, the student who graduates early may
participate in commencement exercises.
File Note Only: This is a mandatory policy on early
or accelerated graduation. District don't have the
authority to limit a student from graduating early.
They can graduate whenever they meet the District's
graduation requirements.
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