The Chicago Public Schools district announced Thursday that it is planning to change its policy that determines which students in grades third, sixth and eighth are held back and who are promoted.

The district says scores from the SAT10, the first 30 questions on the Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT), were previously used as the performance lever under the old promotion policy. But the state changed the format of ISAT for this year so that it now aligns with the Common Core State Standards. 

Since the SAT10 no longer exists due to this year's changes to the ISAT, CPS said it will look at the more challenging Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) assessment test, currently administered to students in grades third through eighth. CPS says the new policy will help teachers identify students who may need intervention and provide them with supports during the school year. For example, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd Bennett told the Chicago Sun-Times that struggling individuals could receive specialized instruction during the longer school day, among other supports.

Under the proposed promotion policy, students whose NWEA test scores fall in the 11th to 23rd percentile would have to go to summer school if they do not earn a final C grade or higher in math or reading. Students whose NWEA test scores are below the 10th percentile, however, would have to take summer school.

“This new policy will better prepare and support students during elementary school to get them on a path for success in college, career and life,” said CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett in a statement. “As the district adopts more rigorous assessment standards, we must provide teachers with better tools to measure academic progress in order to identify where intervention is necessary and provide students with the individual supports they need to reach their full potential."

But Julie Woestehoff, executive director of Parents United for Responsible Education, told the Chicago Tribune that the new performance policy is still based too much on assessment tests. Woestenhoff said CPS' proposal looks moreso like a way to save the district in summer school-related costs.

This revised policy will go before the Chicago Board of Education for approval at its monthly meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, October 23. CPS has to let parents know of their children's promotion status no later than the first report card pick up day, which is November 12.