SECTION 210:15-27-3. Standards for mid-year promotion of retained third graders

(a)   School district boards of education shall adopt and implement a policy for the mid-year promotion of any student retained in third grade due to a reading deficiency as required by 70 O.S. § 1210.508C. Such mid-year promotions of retained third grade students must occur during the first semester of the academic year, and shall occur prior to November 1 of that academic year.

(b)   To be eligible for mid-year promotion, a student must demonstrate by reasonable expectation that they:

(1)   Are a successful and independent reader as demonstrated by reading at or above grade level;

(2)   Have progressed sufficiently to master appropriate fourth grade reading skills; and

(3)   Have met any additional requirements, such as satisfactory achievement in other curriculum areas, as determined by the policies of the district school board.

(c)   Standards that provide a reasonable expectation that the student has met the requirements of (b) of this Section include demonstrating a level of proficiency required to meet grade-level criteria as established by the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) on the third grade assessment and mastery of reading skills, consistent with the month of promotion to fourth grade, as presented in the scope and sequence of the school district's core reading program. Evidence of demonstrated mastery shall be shown by the following:

(1)   Successful completion of portfolio elements that meet state criteria in (d) of this Section; or

(2)   Satisfactory performance on a subsequent alternative standardized assessment as specified in (e) of this Section.

(d)   To promote a student mid-year using a student portfolio as provided for in (c)(1) of this Section, there must be evidence of the student demonstrating a level of proficiency required to meet criteria on the Oklahoma state standards as assessed by the reading comprehension and vocabulary portions of the third grade assessment administered pursuant to 70 O.S. § 1210.508, and mastery of the Oklahoma Academic Standards as assessed by the reading foundations/processes and vocabulary portions of the fourth gradeassessment, as specified in (b) of this Section. The student portfolio must meet the following requirements:

(1)   Consist only of work selected by the certified classroom teacher responsible for the student's Reading instruction;

(2)   Be an accurate representation of the student's reading achievement level, and only include work that has been independently produced by the student in the classroom of the certified classroom teacher responsible for the student's Reading instruction;

(3)   Include evidence demonstrating a level of proficiency required to meet criteria on the standards assessed by the reading comprehension and vocabulary portions of the third grade assessment by meeting all portfolio requirements set forth in 210:15-27-2(b)(4);

(4)   Include evidence of beginning mastery of fourth grade state standards that are assessed by the fourth grade reading foundations/processes and vocabulary portions of the assessment. Such evidence could consist of:

(A)   Chapter or unit tests from the district's adopted core reading curriculum that are aligned with the Oklahoma State Standards; or

(B)   Teacher-prepared assessments;

(5)   Each standard and objective assessed by the fourth grade reading foundations/processes and vocabulary portions of the assessment must include a minimum of three (3) work samples of mastery whereby the student attained a grade of 70% or above. Demonstrating mastery of each objective for each standard is required; and

(6)   Be signed by the certified classroom teacher responsible for the student's reading instruction and the principal of the school, both attesting that the portfolio is an accurate assessment of the student's ability and that the student possesses the required reading skills to be promoted to fourth grade.

(e)   To promote a student mid-year using an alternative standardized assessment as provided for in (c)(2) of this Section, there must be evidence that the student scored at or above grade level on the reading portion of an alternative standardized reading assessment listed in OAC 210:15-27-2(b)(3)(A), as demonstrated by standard scores or percentiles consistent with the month of promotion to the fourth grade. Alternative assessments administered for the purpose of determining a student's eligibility for mid-year promotion must also comply with the requirements of 210:15-27-2(b)(3) and the school district's policy for mid-year promotion, provided that alternative assessments administered for this purpose may be administered until November 1 of the school year.

(f)   A mid-year promotion shall only occur upon agreement of the parent or legal guardian of the student, and the principal of the school. Such decision should be made in consultation with the student's third and fourth grade teachers.

(g)   The Indvidualized Program of Reading Instruction for any retained third grade student who has been promoted mid-year to fourth grade shall be re-evaluated and modified as appropriate to support success in fourth grade, and shall be implemented for the entire academic year.

[Source: Added at 29 Ok Reg 976, eff 6-26-12; Amended at 31 Ok Reg 1196, eff 9-12-14; Amended at 33 Ok Reg 699, eff 8-25-16; Amended at 37 Ok Reg 1196, eff 9-11-20]