LIVERMORE FALLS – School officials adopted a policy to require seventh- and eighth-grade students to earn credits to move on to the next grade.

That policy was adopted in October with a coinciding policy having its first reading Thursday.

This year only the eighth grade would be affected by the promotion/retention policy but next year students in both grades would need to earn 6.5 credits before they are promoted to the next grade.

Middle school Principal Ted Finn presented the idea to create a promotion and retention policy for those grade levels to SAD 36 directors this spring.

The policy went to the Policy Committee before it came back to the board.

The policy awards credits to students who successfully completed their academic program and retains them in their current grade level if they failed to gain those credits.

The proposal requires students in the seventh and eighth grades to earn one credit each for successfully completing core courses of language arts, math, science, social studies and reading and one-half credits each for successfully completing unified arts courses of physical education, health and art.

If students do not earn all the credits required for promotion, they must successfully complete a summer school program in the respective area or areas.

If they do not successfully compete the summer school program, they will be kept in their current grade level.