The following is an important message from William S. Hackett Middle School Principal Michael Paolino:
As we embark on this new school year, we want to call your attention to the City School District of Albany’s middle-level promotion and retention policy. This policy has been in effect for many years but during the pandemic, regulations were less stringent to accommodate for lost instructional time. This school year we will be reinforcing this policy and will be setting up support in all our middle schools to assist students with this transition.
Per the City School District of Albany Board of Education’s Policy 4750, students will be required to meet the following guidelines to be promoted to the next grade or be eligible for summer school. These guidelines refer to core classes only, which are English Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, and World Language.
Students failing one core class will be reviewed by a school-based committee to determine whether the course needs to be repeated in summer school. These students will be promoted to the next grade.
Students failing two core classes will be expected to attend summer school and have an opportunity for promotion. If your child completes summer school, they will be promoted to the next grade.
Students failing three or more core classes will not be eligible for summer school, and shall not be promoted to the next grade.
It’s also important to remember that encore classes like Physical Education, Art, and Music remain a critical element of your child's educational experience. These courses provide background skills and knowledge as the foundation for classes at the high school level. Although these are not taken into consideration for participating in grade promotion, they remain critical to a well-rounded educational experience.
Requirements to participate in the Eighth Grade Moving Up Ceremony
- Students who pass all classes will be allowed to participate in the Moving Up Ceremony
- Good kids make poor choices. Prior suspensions should not determine their participation in the Moving Up Ceremony; however, if they are suspended at the time, they will not be allowed to participate.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your School Counselor or email me at mpaolino@albany.k12.ny.us.
