Carroll Middle School (CMS) Dean of Students, Cory Heiman, brought concerns regarding their policy of student retention to the Carroll Community School District (CCSD) Board of Directors during Monday’s meeting. Under current policy, students are only held back a grade if they have failed courses and also fail to complete a summer success program in June. Heiman says that system is not performing the way it was intended and a number of alternatives have been tried.
In June, 26 students were required to attend summer school. To complete the program and progress, participants needed to complete a number of IXL Learning seminars based on the number of assignments missed and courses failed. Superintendent, Rob Cordes, says the policy, which has existed since the late 1990s, was not originally meant to work in this manner.
Individuals attending summer school are often ones who were previously required to participate in June classes. Cordes told the board the issue of holding kids back a grade is caused more by apathy from students than the school’s policy.
The board did not take any action on the issue at Monday’s meeting, but did say they would revisit it in the future. Heiman was asked to gather more data on the summer school program and return with possible alternatives or changes.
