Curriculum

Idaho Institutes Mandate for Middle Schoolers to Advance

By Erik W. Robelen — August 18, 2010 1 min read
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Idaho this year will begin requiring all middle school students to complete at least 80 percent of their class credits before they advance to the next grade, according to an Associated Press story.

“Students understand that middle level doesn’t count,” the story quotes Rob Sauer, a deputy superintendent at the state education department, as saying. “Now they can say, ‘I have some responsibility in this.’ ”

The story explains that under the new state requirement, which goes into effect this fall, students in the 7th and 8th grade will not advance to the next grade level if they fail a full year in one subject, such as math. At the same time, schools will be expected to provide students who fail to meet the new requirements—or those in danger of failing—opportunities to recover their class credits and become eligible to proceed to the next grade.

The initiative was among the recommendations to come from a state task force created in 2007 to help ensure middle schoolers are better prepared to succeed in high school.

I’d be interested to know how this new state policy in Idaho compares with other states? Any takers?

A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters blog.