48 STMS students will not graduate

Nearly 50 South Tahoe Middle School students were not allowed to participate in Monday's Promotion Ceremony because of poor grades.

Any student who received more than one failing grade during the course of his or her eighth-grade year must attend summer school.

"Out of 398 eighth-grade students, we have 48 who are required to go to summer school," eighth-grade counselor Marilyn Pawling said. "Initially, I sent 56 letters to parents, notifying them that their child would not be promoted."

Eight students were able to make up work during the last week of school in time to be promoted.

"The eight who ended up getting promoted turned in extra stuff and raised their grades," Pawling said. "Those students made an effort."

This is the first year the middle school has adopted a policy which says students cannot move on to the next grade level if they have more than one "F" for the school year. Last year's policy required summer school for eighth-grade students with six or more "F's" throughout their entire middle-school career.

"It used to be cumulative, sixth, seventh and eighth," Pawling said. "We had a policy that in eighth grade, you couldn't have more than six 'Fs' for all grades. This year, it was if you had more than one 'F' in the whole eighth-grade school year, then you'd have to go to summer school and that holds true for sixth to seventh and seventh to eighth, too."

Suzanne Stuck, also a counselor at the middle school, said the new policy actually gives students more chances.

"The plus of this system, what I like about it, is they're given a fresh start each year," Stuck said. "I think that's much more positive."

Stuck said an average of 30 students or more must attend summer school each year.

"Thirty to 40 is average," Stuck said. "I know that last year we retained nine students for one semester and then they went on to the high school. What happens is, the numbers are large before summer school. If they blow off summer school, or get kicked out, then they'll probably be with us again next year. But they go to summer school and you hope they'll qualify for transfer to the high school."

Pawling emphasized that just because 48 students were held, does not mean they will not move on to high school in the fall.

"If they do not have more than four 'Fs' at this point, then they can earn three credits for their 'Fs' in summer school and that's an automatic transfer to the high school," Pawling said. "If they have more than four 'Fs,' they go to summer school, then they go before a transfer retention committee in August and that committee looks at the student's record and decides what the placement will be. We want to make sure we're assigning the best placement we can for them."

School officials also stressed that students have numerous opportunities to raise their grades throughout the year.

"There is an after-school program available that teaches skill building, so I had a number of kids who actually earned credit for their two 'Fs,' " Pawling said. "We want students to be successful. We have a lot of tutorial programs here. We have teachers that tutor before school, at lunch and after school, for free. And they not only tutor their own students, but other students, as well. Students have many opportunities, if they would only take them."

Parents are also updated on their child's scholastic status, on a regular basis.

"Parents are notified six times throughout the year," Pawling said. "There are three progress reports and three report cards. If students drop down to an 'F' between the progress report and the report card, then parents are notified again."