Welcome to our first blog post! As you know, networking with other professionals is crucial in our line of work, and finding out how others handle difficult (or easy!) situations is always helpful. Since grade placement and transcript evaluation is an art, it's important to consult with others in the field so we can align our policies and procedures with the best practices being utilized. So with that in mind, this blog will address questions that come up repeatedly from our members, old and new, throughout the year. Feel free to send in a question or topic that you would like to have addressed for the benefit of the group! Our hope is that the posts can be organized, saved, and easily accessed via this blog, and so become a real-time catalogue of best practices and an opportunity to network with other members at any time.
We will start this blog with a question sent in about grade placement:
Name Raeda Zietoon, EL Coordinator Frederick County Public Schools Frederick,MD
Email raeda.zietoon@fcps.org
Subject Grade Placement
Message:
Hello Everyone, What is your district's policy when placing a student enrolling from a foreign country? I know we have to consider age appropriate placement. But consider the following situation: A student is 9 years old, from Costa Rica. School year begins in March. She was in Grade 3 when she came to FCPS to enroll in the summer. I cannot see how I can "promote" her to Grade 4 to catch her up with her age/grade level. Her birthday is later in March, so it seems she missed the cut off date of enrolling in Grade 1 in her country. This would be a similar case with us in the U.S. For example, MD's cut off date is September 1 to enter Kindergarten at 5 years of age. So if a student's birthday is September 2 or after, they will be older when they start Kindergarten the year after. I would like to see how other districts/counties are placing students in such a situation. Thank You.
First, check out the Best Practice for grade placement that is on the MAFSA website (link below):
To summarize:
Students should be placed closest to his / her chronological age and academic background
Students should be placed no more than one year below or above his / her chronological age, regardless of interrupted education
High school age students and others with special circumstances (such as international adoptees) may have unique grade placement considerations and should be placed according to individual county practices, provided they are in the best interest of the student.
In all cases, decisions should be made with the student’s best interest in mind and special consideration given to both the individual’s current needs and future goals.
Second, we need to address the issue of school systems that have a different academic calendar, like in the question in the post. Here are some scenarios and suggestions for grade placement. Note that this applies to Elementary and Middle School only, as placement in High School in most districts will depend on credits earned as well as age and educational history, and possibly on English proficiency levels.
Elementary and Middle School (Maryland)
Students are eligible for Grade 1 if they are six years old on or before September 1. This is a State of Maryland regulation. If parent indicates or shows that students have completed Grade 1 before, students must still be registered for First grade in MD due to these age regulations. Students who are age appropriate for grade 2 but have never completed Grade 1 should be placed in 1st grade.
Generally, students who are 13 should be placed in middle school. Students who are 15 should be placed in high school.
How to determine grade level: Beginning with grade 2:
Scenario 1:
Student has never been in school = place one grade below age cohort
Scenario 2:
Student is coming from a U.S. school = place in appropriate grade based on records. We generally cannot adjust this level, but if it’s a large age discrepancy, a note can be placed on the enrollment form indicating that a meeting may be held at the school for the principal to decide on any modifications to the grade placement.
Scenario 3:
Student has records showing they completed a grade that is higher than age cohort = discuss with parent the educational history of the student and review records if available. Student may be placed only one grade level above age cohort, but it may be more appropriate for student to be placed on grade level by age.
Scenario 4:
Student completed a grade that is lower than age cohort by more than one year, or has had interrupted education = place student one year below age cohort.
Scenario 5:
Student was in the middle of a school year before coming to the U.S. but did not complete the grade because the school year differs in that country = place student in the grade he/she was attending before coming to U.S., unless this placement is two years below the age cohort.
To answer Raeda's question, after reading through the post, I would recommend a grade 3 placement for this student. Do you agree? Disagree? Have you had a similar experience? Go ahead and comment on this post!