ABSTRACT
Recent changes in state accountability systems have resulted in a growing number of statewide assessments designed to ensure a specified level of student learning. For years the attainment of locally awarded grades sufficed for students to graduate from high school or be promoted to the next grade level. New standards and “high-stakes” assessments measuring the attainment of these standards have altered this equation. Now, merely achieving a passing grade in a course may not suffice to graduate or to be promoted; in many states, a student now must “pass” a state test to earn the necessary credits. Concurrently, many schools across the nation have seen an increasing diversity in their student population, with increasing numbers of students with limited English proficiency (LEP). Many students cannot master the objectives necessary to pass the state tests in the time allotted. Often, the only alternative available for such students is to repeat a failed course. This chapter offers a variety of schedules that provide students with additional learning time so that it is not necessary to fail and repeat courses to attain the required mastery. We believe these Options institutionalize sound practice.
