Google Translate Widget

Promotion, Retention, and Placement Policy

In order to help assure appropriate achievement as students progress through their school experience, the Amana Academy Governing Board establishes the following promotion, retention, and placement procedures for elementary and middle school schools: 

A student shall be promoted when, in the professional judgment of the school’s Principal, he/she has successfully met instructional standards for the grade level/course(s) in which he/she is currently enrolled. This shall be based on the following criteria: 

  • Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) or Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), as applicable; 
  • State-mandated and other standardized test data, as appropriate and required. 

The following should also be considered by the professional school staff in determining promotion, retention, or placement of a student: 

  • Student's cumulative work; 
  • Overall classroom performance and participation; 
  • Universal screening and progress monitoring data; 
  • Previous interventions, including retentions; 
  • Age and level of social and emotional maturity; and 
  • Regular school attendance. 

A student shall not be retained more than once in grades K through 8, except with the approval of Amana Academy's Executive Director. Students who will be 13 years old on or before July 1 should not be retained in the elementary grades and students who will be 16 years old on or before July 1 should not be retained in the middle grades. Such placements should be made upon enrollment or before the start of the school year. 
State Promotion and Retention Requirements for Grades Three and Five
Third and fifth grade students are required to pass a state test in order to be promoted to the next grade level. According to the law:
  • Third grade students must score on or above grade level on the reading component of the English/Language Arts Georgia Milestones in order to be promoted to fourth grade.
  • Fifth grade students are required to perform on or above grade level on the reading component of the English/Language Arts test and at or above the Developing Learner level in mathematics on the Georgia Milestones in order to be promoted to sixth grade.
  • Third and fifth grade students who do not take the state-adopted assessment in grades 3 and 5 in reading and/or mathematics on any of the designated testing date(s) will result in the student being retained. The option of the parent or guardian or teacher(s) to appeal the decision to retain the student shall follow the procedure set forth in the state rule.

You may also read the official rule here.
Elementary and Middle School Grade Placement of Students
  • A student entering or returning to an Amana Academy elementary or middle school from any public/private school or home school will be required to submit a set of nationally normed referenced tests (eg. MAP, Star, Fastbridge, or iReady) with registration documentation for review by personnel designated by the school’s principal. If this data is not available, the student will be evaluated using Amana Academy placement assessments in the areas of mathematics, reading and language arts to inform the placement decision. 
  • All Amana students are evaluated annually in the first weeks of every school year using a nationally normed diagnostic assessment (eg. iReady or similar).
  • A student’s instructional level (on-level, advanced, accelerated, or promoted) will be determined by the results obtained from the aforementioned assessments, taking into consideration the student’s maturity. 
  • If the student’s assessment data shows learning needs below the students age-based cohort, a recommendation to place the student a grade level below their current promoted status may be made to support future success. 
  • Recommendations will be shared with the school’s principal who will have the final authority to place the student. 
  • A student will not be placed more than one grade below age-appropriate placement.
  • The student’s caregivers will be informed of their scholar’s placement. Any appeals to the principal’s decision must be made in writing to the Amana Academy Board’s Academic Committee, and must include rationale with supporting materials, such as report cards, GMAS scores, transcripts, teacher recommendation, etc.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or need further information, please contact us at:

Amana Academy
285 S Main St
Alpharetta, GA,
United States, Georgia
(678) 624-0989
E-mail: [email protected]