La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § XXXIX-503

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section XXXIX-503 - Regular Placement

A. Promotion-Grades K-12

1. Promotion from one grade to another for regular students and students with disabilities shall be based on the following statewide evaluative criteria.

a. Each plan shall include the school attendance requirements.

b. Each plan shall include the course requirements for promotion by grade levels.

c. Each plan shall include promotion requirements for students eligible to take LEAP alternate assessment, level 1 (LAA 1) or LEAP connect.

d. Each plan shall include promotion requirements for students with disabilities aligned to policies included in Bulletin 1530-Louisiana's IEP Handbook for Students with Exceptionalities.

e. Each plan shall include other applicable requirements, including the high stakes policy requirements for entering students in fifth or ninth grade.

2. Every child, as a prerequisite to enrollment in any first grade of a public school, shall have attended at least a full-day public or non-public kindergarten for a full school year, and shall have satisfactorily passed an academic readiness screening administered by the school system prior to the time of enrollment for the first grade. Each school system shall establish the academic readiness level for its first grade based on criteria established by the system. Any child not able to meet kindergarten attendance requirements due to illness or extraordinary, extenuating circumstances as determined by the school governing authority, shall be required to satisfactorily pass an academic readiness screening administered by the school system prior to the time of enrollment for the first grade. In accordance with R.S. 17:221, any child below the age of seven who legally enrolls in school shall be subject to state laws regarding compulsory attendance and promotion requirements set forth by the school system in accordance with this bulletin.

B. Requirements for High School Students

1. Each plan shall include the following statements, that:

a. in addition to completing the required minimum number of Carnegie units of credits as presented by BESE, students must pass the required end-of-course tests or LEAP 2025 high school assessments to receive a high school diploma;

b. any first-time eighth grade student who does not meet the passing standard set forth in §703 of this bulletin and any student not eligible for any waiver pursuant to §707 of this Part, may be placed on a high school campus in transitional ninth grade;

c. LEAs shall follow the guidelines set forth in §703 to determine, based on evidence of student learning, whether eighth grade students may be promoted to the ninth grade or placed on a high school campus in transitional ninth grade. The percentage of an LEAs eighth graders placed in transitional ninth grade is expected to remain stable over time. In the event that the percentage of an LEAs eighth graders placed in transitional ninth grade exceeds the percentage of eighth graders in that LEA eligible for transitional ninth grade at the conclusion of the prior school year, the local superintendent of that LEA shall provide a written justification to the state superintendent;

d. the initial decision to place a student in the transitional ninth grade or to retain a student in the eighth grade shall be made by the school in which the student is enrolled in the eighth grade, in consultation with the students parents;

e. each LEA shall admit transitional ninth grade students, subject to any admissions requirements approved by the schools governing authority or charter authorizer;

f. the following shall govern the transitional ninth grade:

i. for any student who recently completed the eighth grade and is transferring into the LEA from another state or country after summer remediation, if summer remediation is offered, the LEA shall review the students academic record to determine appropriate placement in ninth grade or transitional ninth grade. Such placement shall occur no later than October 1 of each school year.

ii. After one full year of transitional ninth grade, students shall be included in the ninth grade graduation cohort for high school accountability purposes.

iii. Students enrolled in transitional ninth grade shall receive appropriate academic supports in any subjects in which they did not score at or above proficient, as determined by BESE. A plan outlining such academic supports shall be included in the students individual graduation plan. Progress pursuant to such specified academic supports shall be reviewed at least once throughout the school year in order to determine effectiveness and any needed adjustments.

iv. Students enrolled in transitional ninth grade shall have opportunities to take career and technical education courses and participate in any career training opportunities included in a high school career pathway developed by a consortium of LEAs, post-secondary colleges and universities, and local business and industry, and approved by the LDE.

v. Students enrolled in transitional ninth grade shall receive dropout prevention and mentoring services based on proven strategies to retain and graduate at-risk students. The LDE shall make available to LEAs a list of recommended strategies and technical assistance needed to offer students such services.

C. Retention-Grades K-12

1. Retention of a student shall be based upon the student's failure to meet the criteria established by local boards for promotion and other criteria contained in these policies and procedures.

D. Acceleration

1. Grades K-8

a. The local school board shall establish written policies and procedures for the placement of students who evidence that they will benefit more from the instructional program at an advanced grade level.

2. Grades 9-12

a. The local school board shall follow the policies and procedures established in Bulletin 741-Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators, and other local requirements for student acceleration.

E. Transfer Students

1. The local school board shall establish written policies for the placement of students transferring from all other systems and home schooling programs (public, nonpublic, both in and out-of-state, and foreign countries).

a. Students in grades 5 and 9 transferring to a public school from any in-state nonpublic school (state-approved and not seeking state approval), any approved home study program, or Louisiana resident transferring from any out-of-state school, shall be administered the English language arts and mathematics portions of the LEAP placement test. Students who have scored below the "basic" achievement level shall have placement and individual academic supports addressed in the same manner as non-transfer students in accordance with §701 and §703

b. Any child transferring into the first grade of a public school from out of state and not meeting the requirements for kindergarten attendance shall be required to pass an academic readiness screening administered by the school system prior to the time of enrollment for the first grade, in accordance with state law.

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § XXXIX-503

Promulgated by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, LR 25:2171 (November 2000), amended LR 26:1433 (July 2000), LR 26:1576 (August 2000), LR 27:188 (February 2001), LR 27:1006 (My 2001), LR 27:1682 (October 2001), LR 29:123 (February 2003), LR 30:407 (March2004), LR 31:1974 (August 2005), LR 31:3103 (December 2005), LR 33:2063 (October 2007), LR 34:2389 (November 2008), LR 36:2003 (September 2010), LR 40:765 (April 2014), LR 40:1332 (July 2014), LR 40:2533 (December 2014), LR 41:1271 (July 2015), Amended LR 44480 (3/1/2018), Amended LR 441003 (6/1/2018), Amended LR 442131 (12/1/2018), Amended LR 4618 (1/1/2020), Amended LR 481759 (7/1/2022).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:6, 17.7, and 17:24.4.