1. Transcripts from past educational institutions are an important piece of the placement decision, but they don’t always give the complete picture of a student’s academic background. It is possible for a student to have completed a course within another school system without mastering the material. Similarly, the student may have already mastered much of the learning that takes place in a course without officially earning credit.
2. Testing, especially to determine a baseline level in English and Mathematics, is an important part of the decision for placement. Testing in other subjects may also be necessary, especially for placement in courses with prerequisites. To help determine a new student’s achievement level, the following may be administered as appropriate:
- Measures of Academic Progress (MAP).
- Assessments from prerequisite courses, even if past transcripts show the student has completed the course.
- Writing sample: Student responds to a writing prompt.
- End-of-year assessments.
- Other assessments that help with the placement decision.
3. Homeroom assignment should be based on the following:
- Fewer than 50 credits: Secondary I
- Minimum of 50 credits: Secondary II
- Minimum of 100 credits: Secondary III
- Minimum of 150 credits: Secondary IV
4. Further testing may be necessary if a student is performing so well on the assessments that they are showing mastery of material found in courses for which they have not yet received credit. To credit the past learning and place the student appropriately, the student may take unit tests within a subject to earn the units of study. For example, a student who has never taken Algebra, but shows readiness for Geometry and/or Advanced Mathematics I, may take the 10 unit tests for Algebra to earn 10 Algebra credits.
5. Meet with the student to determine strengths, weaknesses, interests, needs, and developmental level.
6. Discuss with parents the academic, social, and emotional strengths and needs of the student.
7. Determine placement, create a graduation plan, and meet with parents to discuss the initial graduation plan. Placement will be based on the best professional judgment of the school’s placement team; the team will be flexible and willing to adjust student placement as needed. The team should include teachers and school administrators. Explain to parents why the placement and graduation plan determined by the placement team are in the best interests of the student.