Promotion Requirements for All Grades

  • Students must fulfill several requirements to be promoted to the next grade. All students must earn passing grades in certain courses and maintain good attendance. 

    Schools may establish promotion requirements that exceed those listed below. The School Site Council must approve these additional requirements.

    Boston Public Schools is reviewing its graduation requirements in order to better align them with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education expectations and the Massachusetts Core High School Program of Study.

    Middle School - Grades 6-8

    High School - Grades 9-12

Elementary School: Summary of Promotion, Testing, and Homework Requirements

  • To be promoted from Grade 5, students must...

    • pass English Language Arts (ELA)/English as a second language (ESL) each year
    • pass mathematics each year
    • take science and history each year
    • pass a total of three out of four classes in science and history in grades 4-5
    • take physical education each year
    • take health/HIV education in grade 4
    • complete 90 hours of arts-related instruction each year (average 30 minutes per day).

    *School Site Councils may vote to establish course and test requirements that exceed those listed.

    Assessments that Students Take in Elementary School

    Assessment

    Grades

    What does it test?

    End-of-Unit Assessments

    2–5

    Assessments of content taught in previous 4-6 weeks in each subject area

    LAP-D (screening)

    EVT

    MAP Fluency Reading

    K0-K2

    K1

    K2–2

    Monitor and observe the development of age-appropriate skills

    Measures expressive vocabulary and word retrieval

    Reading fluency and comprehension at least 3 times a year

    Next-Generation MCAS 2.0

    3

    4

    5

    ELA and math

    ELA and math

    ELA, math, and science & technology/engineering

    ACCESS for ELLs

    K2–5

    English language reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills for English Learners

    National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

    4

    Measures what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects (given every 2 years)

    BPS Interim Assessments

    2-5

    ELA and math grade-level standards proficiency
    MAP Growth Reading 3-5 Universal screen for reading that provides a growth measure (between two assessment administrations)

    Homework Recommendations 

    Homework, or Home Links in K to 2, is an important means of fostering collaboration between home and school. In addition, it enhances skills and concepts developed at school and encourages the development of self-discipline and personal responsibility. 

    Kindergarten

    Every week children take home a suggested menu of Home Links activities to do with their families. These activities are based on the concepts and skills children have been learning in the classroom. Families choose at least three activities from the menu to complete over the course of the week.  
    Recommended average time: 30 minutes per day (Reading: 20 minutes; other activities 10 minutes per day)

    Grades 1-2 

    Every week children take home a Home Links activity sheet or other activity sheet connected to the unit of study, the week’s specific classroom lessons, the relevant standards (ELA, Math, History and Social Studies, Science and Engineering), and needed skills practice.  
    Recommended average time: 30 minutes per day (Reading: 20 minutes; other activities 10 minutes per day)

    Grades 3–5

     Homework should stress work in major subject areas and should vary in form. For example, it could include oral and written exercises, study, reading for pleasure, written assignments, and preparation of reports.  
    Recommended average time: 30–60 minutes per day

    For more information, visit: https://www.bpsearlylearning.org/our-curricula

    Elementary School Promotion Requirements: Grades 1 - 5

    K0-K2

    There are no promotion requirements for students in Kindergarten.

    		  

    Grade 1

    To be promoted to grade 2, students must meet both of these requirements:

    • Receive a passing grade in ELA or ESL 
    • Receive a passing grade in mathematics
    		  

    Grade 2

    To be promoted to grade 3, students must meet both of these requirements:

    1. Receive a passing grade in ELA or ESL 
    2. Receive a passing grade in mathematics
    		  

    Grade 3

    To be promoted to grade 4, students must meet both of these requirements:

    1. Receive a passing grade in ELA or ESL
    2. Receive a passing grade in mathematics.
    • Students who do not pass ELA/ESL and math and do not pass a reading test and math test will receive an “Incomplete” and must attend the Summer Learning Academies if invited. If they do not pass both courses and a reading test by the end of the Summer Learning Academies, they will repeat grade 3.
    • If they pass reading and pass the course work for math but do not pass the math test by the end of the Summer Learning Academies, they will be promoted to grade 4 and received extra help in math.

    Grade 4

    To be promoted to grade 5, students must meet all three of these requirements:

    1. Receive a passing grade in ELA or ESL
    2. Receive a passing grade in mathematics
    3. Receive a passing grade in science or history
    		  

    Grade 5

    To be promoted to grade 6, students must meet all of these requirements:

    1. Receive a passing grade in ELA or ESL
    2. Receive a passing grade in mathematics
    3. (a) Receive a passing grade in science and history, if only one of these subjects were passed in grade 4; OR
      (b) Receive a passing grade in science or history if both subjects were passed in grade 4.