2021 School Year Options
Parents, if you are concerned about your child's academic growth from last year and are considering retaining your child this information and links will give you more information on how to do that this school year. This applies to Pre-K, Kindergarten, and all other grades. 

Parents: Should Your Child Repeat a Grade or Course?

If you believe your child needs to repeat a grade or course, you as a parent have the right to make this decision but you must act quickly. 

Given the disruptions of the 2020-2021 school year, the Texas Legislature has given parents new rights to make this decision for the upcoming school year. The decision as to whether your child needs to repeat a grade or course in the upcoming school year is your decision to make as a parent.

  • For children in grades 1-8:

    • Repeating may be right for your child if he/she struggled learning while remaining virtual most of the year

  • For students who took high school courses:

    • Repeating one or more courses may be right for your child if he/she struggled in a foundational course (e.g. Algebra I or computer science) and is worried about being successful in higher level courses

When Making the Decision, Consider:

  • Your child’s academic results, including grades, test scores, and other evidence of their learning. Does your child’s work and performance lead you to believe they are ready for the next grade?

  • Research shows that students who are repeating a grade should have access to additional academic supports (such as tutoring, summer school, and differentiated learning opportunities) to improve their learning.  Just repeating the school year without a plan to better cover material doesn’t necessarily improve results. Students will have access to additional tutoring supports in the upcoming year if they did not meet standards on STAAR or didn’t take the exam.

  • Talk to your child about the decision – how do they feel about repeating a grade or course?

Parents of High School Students Should Also Consider:

  • For children interested in varsity sports, review eligibility rules based on student age.

  • Ask your school about their grading policy: if a high school student received a passing grade for the course they will repeat, they will keep their original grade on their transcript unless the school has a different policy.

  • Review your student’s progress towards graduation: will repeating a course delay when they will be ready to graduate?

Should Your Child Restart Kindergarten or Pre-Kindergarten?

 Kindergarten Students:

If you believe your child needs to restart kindergarten or pre-kindergarten, you as a parent have the right to make this decision but you must act quickly. 

Kindergarten is an important year for students to develop socially and learn skills that prepare them to succeed in the classroom. If, during the previous school year, your kindergarten-age child:

  • Did not attend kindergarten

  • Missed many days of kindergarten because of the disrupted school year

  • Attended kindergarten but struggled

You may want to consider whether he or she should restart kindergarten in this upcoming school year. Given the disruptions of the 2020-2021 school year, the Texas Legislature has given parents new rights to make this decision. This page offers resources to help you make this decision.

 

Pre-Kindergarten Students:

Similarly, if your child was eligible for pre-kindergarten in the previous school year and did not attend or had a disrupted school year, you may choose to have your child restart pre-kindergarten, or he or she may continue on and attend kindergarten. If you choose to have your child restart pre-kindergarten, you must act quickly. You can find the steps you must take here.

What Should You Consider When Making This Decision?:

  • Consider social factors. Kindergarten is a time when students learn a lot about interacting with other children in school and learn how to behave in a classroom. Would your child benefit from more practice in these areas?

  • Look at your child's work from the previous year, including progress reports, teacher feedback and the student body of work they created. Does your child's work and performance lead you to believe they are ready for the next grade?

If you decide your student will repeat a grade/course, it is important to act quickly!  

You must tell your school in writing before the start of the school year:

  • If you decide your student should repeat a grade or course, you must tell the school your child will be attending in writing before the start of the 2021-2022 school year.  Navarro ISD will begin classes on Wednesday, August 19, 2021, so your letter requesting retention must be received no later than Monday, August 9, 2021. This will provide the campus administration time to adjust your child’s schedule or grade assignment before the annual Meet the Teacher or Open House Event.

  • Make your request in writing is to the school principal,. You can use this form to submit your request.

If your school does not agree with your decision, they may bring together a committee to meet with you to talk about your decision. After you meet with the committee, you will make the final decision whether to your student will repeat a grade or course, and the school must honor your decision. Ask your school what additional supports such as tutoring and after school or out-of-school academic opportunities will be available to your student.

Should you have any specific questions about this information, please contact your child's campus administrator or academic counselor. You may also email Wendy McMullen, Chief Academic Officer, at wendy.mcmullen@nisd.us.

For information on repeating other grades, see Repeat a Grade or Course.

For information on repeating or restarting pre-kindergarten or kindergarten, see Restart Kindergarten