Policy 5119 – Third Grade to Fourth Grade Promotion for Students With a Reading Plan

Section 1: Promotion Policy

The Kenosha Unified School District adopts this third to fourth grade promotion policy as of July 1, 2025 to take effect beginning with third grade students at the end of the 2026-27 school year.

For any student who has not exited their personal reading plan by the end of the student’s third grade year, the school/district will engage in a structured process to determine eligibility for promotion to fourth grade. This process will carefully assess the factors that led to the student’s lack of completion of their personal reading plan and explore alternative strategies to retention that can support the student to achieve reading proficiency. This process is described in Rule 5119.

Section 2: Process for Making Promotion Determinations

For any student who has not exited their personal reading plan by the end of the third grade year, the team will engage in a process to consider the needs of each student regarding promotion to fourth grade. This process will carefully consider all relevant factors that contributed to the student being identified as at-risk by the Early Literacy Screener and alternatives to retention that can help support the student to achieve reading proficiency. The three-step process for making promotion determinations is a structured approach that ensures a fair and thorough evaluation of each student’s academic progress. Step 1 involves identifying if any good cause exceptions apply, which are specific circumstances that may allow a student to be promoted despite not meeting the standard criteria. Step 2 focuses on determining whether the student will be promoted to the next grade, in this case, fourth grade, or if retention is necessary to provide the student with additional support. Finally, Step 3 involves notifying the parents or guardians of the decision and obtaining their acknowledgment, ensuring that they are informed and involved in the process. The process is described in more detail in Rule 5119.

Team: As defined by Wis. Stat. §.115.76(12), the team in this case refers to the principal, parent or guardian, and no less than two additional school/district representatives who have knowledge of the reading instruction and interventions provided to the student and how the student responded. School representatives must include the principal or designee and may include, but are not limited to: the teacher of record, the district/school reading specialist, a staff member who has provided additional reading support and conducted progress monitoring, and a student services professional with knowledge of the social and emotional implications of grade retention.

Step 1: Good Cause Exceptions:

Identify if any “good cause” exceptions apply to the student. Section 118.33(5m)(b) of the state statute allows, but does not require, the District to apply a “good cause” exception to providing the notification, services, supports, and/or progress monitoring (as listed above) to certain students who would otherwise be eligible. If any of the following are applicable to the student, the student may be promoted.

  1. Students who are multilingual learners as defined for this purpose as a student whose ability to use the English language is limited because of the use of a non-English language in his or her family or in his or her daily, non-school surroundings, and who has difficulty in performing ordinary classwork in English as a result of such limited English language proficiency.
  2. A student who has an individualized education plan (IEP) that indicates that neither taking the statewide third grade standardized reading assessment nor taking the universal reading screening assessment or diagnostic reading assessments administered under state law is appropriate for the student.
  3. A student who has an IEP or a plan to provide accommodations or services under section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act that indicates that the pupil has received intensive intervention in reading for more than two years if the student continues to demonstrate a deficiency in reading and was previously retained in kindergarten, first, second, or third grade.
  4. A student who scores as proficient in reading on an alternative standardized assessment approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
  5. A student who has received intensive intervention in reading for two or more school years and continues to demonstrate a deficiency in reading.
  6. A student was previously retained in kindergarten, first, second, or third grade.

Step 2: Data and Risk Considerations:

The team will consider all available data demonstrating the student’s response to reading instruction and intervention and data demonstrating the student’s progress towards meeting personal reading plan goals. This data analysis will be used to determine if promotion or retention is recommended. This data may include, but is not limited to, the most recent and previous universal reading screener data, longitudinal data, diagnostic reading assessment data, progress monitoring data, classroom data, and observations and data related to the student’s social, emotional, and behavioral functioning.

If retention is considered, the team, including the student’s parent or guardian, will convene and review the following in order to reach consensus regarding retention for the student:

  1. Student data that led to a recommendation for retention.
  2. Long-term risks of retention to the student’s parent or guardian. Such risks may include, but are not limited to, the following:
    1. Students who are retained are more likely to have adverse outcomes, including dropping out of school and obtaining lower paying jobs in the future (Cockx, B., Picchio, M., & Baert, S. 2018; Hughes, J.N., West, S.G., Kim, H., & Bauer, S.S. 2018);
    2. Students who are retained are more likely to experience emotional distress (Buckmaster et. al. 2024; Carlton & Winsler 1999; Demanet & Van Houtte 2016; Goos et al. 2013b; Carlton, M. P., & Winsler, A. 1999; Jimerson & Ferguson 2007; Lavrijsen & Nicaise 2017; Martin 2009; Martin 2011);
    3. Students who are retained are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status and more likely to be eligible for government assistance (Goos, M., Pipa, J., & Peixoto, F. 2021);
    4. Students who are retained are at higher risk for future criminal behavior (Eren, O., Lovenheim, M., & Mocan, H. 2022); and
    5. Students who are retained do not achieve increased academic achievement and make less progress compared to other students (Silberglitt, B., Appleton, J., & Burns, M., & Jimerson, S. 2006).

Step 3: Parent Notification and Acknowledgement:

After reviewing all data and considerations, representatives from the school/district will make a recommendation of promotion or retention to the student’s parent or guardian. In either case, the parent or guardian will be informed of the services and supports and will acknowledge receipt of the communication.

One of the following choices will be made if retention is the recommendation after engaging in the review process designated in Rule 5119:

  1. The parents or guardians and school/district representatives agree that retention (with applicable services/supports) is more appropriate than promotion to fourth grade and the student’s parent or guardian gives written consent for retention, which will be recorded.
  2. The parents or guardians disagree that retention (with applicable services/supports) is more appropriate than promotion to fourth grade and the student is promoted to fourth grade with support and services. Written parent disagreement for retention will be recorded.

If the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) disagree with the District’s promotion or retention decision under this policy, they may request reconsideration. The Chief Academic Officer or designee will modify the initial decision only if, upon a review of all relevant and reasonably available information, they conclude that the policy was applied incorrectly.

Section 3: Post Promotion Mandates and Exemptions

Per Wis. Stat. §118.33(5m)(a), for any student who did not complete the personal reading plan and is promoted to fourth grade after the determination process the district will:

  1. Provide the student with the applicable intensive instructional services and supports during fourth grade.
  2. Monitor the student’s progress with respect to the student’s development of reading skills using the district’s progress monitoring platform.
  3. As a further service/support, offer the student an intensive summer reading program each summer until the student scores at grade-level in reading on a summative assessment.

Legal References:

  • Wisconsin Statutes
    • Section 118.016(1)(a) [definition of “at risk” with respect to reading readiness assessments]
    • Section 118.016(5)(d) [completion of a personal reading plan by a third grade pupil]
    • Section 118.15(1)(d) [parent requests for program and curriculum modifications]
    • Section 118.24(2)(a) [district administrator authority to manage the promotion of students]
    • Section 118.33(5m) [post-promotion service and support mandates for certain students promoted to fourth grade; good cause exceptions]
    • Section 118.33(6)(a) [policy requirements for third, fourth, and eighth grade promotion criteria]
    • Section 118.33(6)(cm) [policy requirement for kindergarten to first grade promotion criteria]
    • Section 121.02(1)© [reading interventions and remedial reading services must be provided to certain students in kindergarten through grade 4]
  • Wisconsin Administrative Code
    • Section PI 13.09(1) [limitations on using test results and test exemptions to make promotion and retention decisions for students with limited English proficiency]

CROSS REF.:

Created: June 24, 2025

Rule 5119 – Third Grade to Fourth Grade Promotion for Students With a Reading Plan

Process for Making Promotion Determinations

  1. A District representative shall be responsible for promptly informing the student’s parent or guardian that the District has identified the student as being at risk of possible retention.
  2. The decision process may occur at one or more group meetings and/or through a series of communications.
  3. The following components will be considered to the extent reasonably available:
    1. The student’s academic progress to date, with no single test or assessment result serving as the sole measure of the student’s progress;
    2. Interventions that have been implemented for the student to date, the extent to which the student was able to fully participate in those interventions, and the student’s response to those interventions, including especially whether the student’s learning gaps relative to applicable grade-level academic standards were materially narrowed, grew wider, or stayed about the same;
    3. At least a tentative identification of available interventions (e.g., instructional modifications, services, and supports) that the District would be likely to provide to the student under both a retention outcome and under a promotion outcome;
    4. Relevant non-academic factors affecting the student, such as potential impacts of the decision on a student’s social relationships, social development, and self-perception, which should be identified and evaluated with input from relevant staff and, if available and willing to provide such information, the student’s parent(s), guardian(s), or other caregiver(s).

If after reviewing the data and any of the following criteria are applicable to the student, the student shall be promoted.

  1. The student has exited a reading plan because they met the criteria of adequate growth on the Early Literacy Screener and has achieved “meeting” or “advanced” expectations on the state-approved summative assessment during the third grade administration. The student will be promoted to fourth grade with applicable supports and services.
  2. The student has shown growth as measured through weekly progress monitoring and demonstrates reading proficiency through multiple measures, but did not yet meet adequate growth and/or has not achieved “meeting” or “advanced” as defined on the state-approved summative assessment during the third grade administration. The team will consider additional factors along with assessment to consider a holistic review of the best interests of the student. The student will be promoted to fourth grade with applicable supports and services. The student’s parent or guardian gives written consent to promotion.
  3. If the student were to be promoted with available interventions, the District would be able to provide the student with at least a realistic opportunity to (1) participate in the fourth grade general curriculum in a meaningful manner and (2) make more than negligible progress in reducing the gap(s) that exist between the student’s present level of academic progress and grade-level standards (i.e., with a “realistic opportunity” meaning that it is reasonable to think that those academic outcomes would be possible, not that those outcomes are assured or even highly likely).
  4. The student’s noncompletion of the student’s personal reading plan was not primarily due to the student’s lack of reading proficiency. Other factors or “good cause” exceptions as described in Policy 5119/Section 2 have been identified, and when applicable, the appropriate support and services will be provided in conjunction with promotion.
  5. The district/school will not deny any English learner advancement to fourth grade solely based on level of language proficiency (Wis. Admin. Code §13.09(1)(b)). The team may conclude that promotion (with applicable services/supports) is in the best interest of a student even if the team also concludes, based on clear documentation, that the student was unable to complete their personal reading plan primarily due to the student’s lack of reading proficiency.
  6. The school/district representatives recommend retention, but the student’s parent or guardian does not consent to retention. Regardless of any other facts, circumstances, or analysis, the student is promoted to fourth grade with appropriate supports and services. The student’s parent or guardian gives written consent to promotion.
  7. Any student who enrolls as a third grade student late in the school term without any accompanying record of a personal reading plan (i.e., after the final annual administration of the universal screening assessment and, potentially, also after the third grade Forward Exam) shall be promoted to fourth grade under the criteria that the student did not have a personal reading plan in effect at the end of third grade.
  8. If a student transfers into a school enrolled as a fourth grade student and the provided records indicate the student may have met requirements to be retained in third grade, the school district will provide adequate and necessary supports, including but not necessarily limited to the intensive instructional services, supports, progress monitoring, and parent notification referenced under Wis. Stat. §118.33(5m)(a).
  9. If a student was previously retained in kindergarten, first, second, or third grade, they shall be promoted.
  10. If a student’s IEP includes alternative academic content and achievement standards in reading, math, or both, then the student shall be promoted if the student’s IEP team determines that promotion will be the appropriate setting for the student in the following year based on relevant academic and non-academic factors, evidence-based practices, and the educational best interests of the student.