By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
At last week’s USD 428 Board of Education luncheon at Great Bend Middle School, Principal Myron Ellegood presented data on the impact of the school’s promotion and retention policy. That policy goes over the criteria for a student to advance to the next grade level and what could cause them to repeat a grade.
In the 2022-2023 school year, the percentage of students passing all of their classes at the end of the first semester was 75%. Ellegood said after the first year the policy was implemented in 2023-2024, that number grew to 93%.
"We had a number of students, more so in the 8th grade, that thought I'm going to be a freshman and I don't need to pass these classes," said Ellegood. "They may be failing four or six classes."
In 2022-2023, the total number of “F” grades at the end of the first semester at Great Bend Middle School was 281. The following year, the total number of “F” grades dropped to 147.
"We implemented if they fail a core class at semester, they get placed in the Edgenuity in the second semester," said Ellegood. "It takes the place of one of their electives. They have to complete that by the end of the year; otherwise, they get placed into summer school. We're in talks with and working with the high school to help us with those that don't complete summer school on their next consequence."
For the first semester of this year, Ellegood reported that 90% of the students are passing all of their classes and there were 87 total “F” grades.