A wise end to social promotion [by a new, black columnist re: Jeb ends social promotion]

The Orlando Sentinel ^ | May 25, 2002 | David Porter

[lodwick]

Excellent find Summer. Thanks. JL

[Joe Brower]

What can I say but...

[Tijeras_Slim]

bump

[Free the USA]

Bump list

[valkyrieanne]

This is one of those "conservative" positions which I, as a conservative with school-age children, cannot adopt.

Some children are getting larger and are maturing faster (including sexually maturing) far more than in the past. Often these children are also the ones most behind in school. Their school difficulties are not simply "he didn't get fractions" or reading six months to a year behind grade level. They are substantial and pervasive, and are often accompanied by severe behavioral problems as well.

When these kids are held back year after year, at some point they are going to be 3 or more years older than their grade-mates: larger, stronger, more aggressive, probably totally turned off to school, and possibly sexually mature as well. In other words, they will pose a real danger to the younger and smaller class members.

Neither solution - "social promotion" nor retention - works. What needs to be done is a combination of *tracking* and early release from compulsory education for those too behaviorally dysfunctional in the classroom. In tracked classes, kids are with their own age mates and work on remedial material until they "get it." Some never will, and it makes no sense for those kids to stay in school. But they shouldn't be placed with younger and smaller children.

[mafree]

I definitely don't favor social promotion. I have a godbrother whose parents asked that he be held back- he did fine and has a BA degree, his own home, a wife, and three girls today. It does a child who isn't learning no good to be simply passed along. He/she will only graduate barely literate and unable to handle much post-secondary education or training.

Oh yeah- GO JEB!!

[summer]

Re your post #25 - You have a point, and you make an important suggestion.

I too think that eliminating 'tracking' has not worked, and in fact, there is a great deal of 'tracking' going on as we speak, under the more commonly used term of 'remedial' classes. But, these class often too late.

The problems with the kids you describe really DO start with reading (and math), and often begin because there is NO parental support or involvement in the child's early education, or early grade school or in subsequent homework. The student has never made any progress at home, and is also not making any at school.

But social promotion is not, in any way whatsoever, helping the very students you describe. Believe - NOT helping them. Because then, the work is HARDER for these kids. They were already frustrated with last year's work, and the teacher is now required to change everything for this and other kids who are behind, but more often than not, a teacher has to teach the class. This results in: greater frustration for the socially promoted student. It's a terrible scenario.

I once had a student -- and I kid you not -- who was "socially promoted" EACH AND EVERY year during his entire school career. Do you think he was functioning in any way on an 8th grade level? No. He was not. But at this point, he certainly did require a lot of attention and energy from each of his teachers -- and that takes a disproportionate amount of time away from other students. This kid needed to be in a remedial class for EVERYTHING. And, while his father was concerned about it, his father (his mother had passed away) spent no time at all with his son on schoolwork.

The big fear about this student is that he will be left back to the point where he will be old enough to get a drivers license -- and yet, still be in: middle school. Middle school principals, understandably, do NOT want this situation of older students driving to middle school.

This is the type of situation which could have turned around with a mentor for said student, someone to give him the one on one tutoring time he desperately needs in everything academic. Gov. Bush is a big supporter of mentor programs, and has his own mentor program -- this student is the perfect candidate for such.

Nevertheless, social promotion, again: DOES NOT HELP.

In addition, the message conveyed by social promotion to many students is as follows: HEY, GUESS WHAT?! YOU ACTUALLY DON'T NEED TO DO ANY WORK IN SCHOOL!

This results in more student discipline problems, because the students quickly figure out that whether they do well or not, they ARE going to the next grade level.

And, that's not a good message.

[summer]

When these kids are held back year after year, at some point they are going to be 3 or more years older than their grade-mates...

Also, many districts will not retain a student twice -- if the student is due to be retained twice, the school will seek to place that student in an alternative school setting, to avoid the exact problems you describe.

But, to never retain such a kid at all is what many schools have been doing.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, valkyrieanne. You're a very observant parent! :)

[summer]

I have a godbrother whose parents asked that he be held back

I know a parent who did that as well. The kid is much better off today. Thanks, mafree.

[summer]

I meant: But, these class are often too late.

[summer]

Thanks for indexing this article in that folder, FTU. :)

[summer]

BTTT to your post #22! :)

[summer]

Thanks for the bump, TS! :)

[summer]

I'm surprised they did that. Please post if that changes.

[summer]

And, thanks for that info, not-alone. I always appreciate your posts! :)

[summer]

:)!

[summer]

Excellent find Summer. Thanks. JL

My pleasure, JL! :)

[summer]

pablianice, I think you left out the "sarcasm" note in your post #18.... :)

[valkyrieanne]

Hi, Summer: Thanks for your point about the school district policies that only retain a child twice. That seems like a reasonable compromise, but it still doesn't solve the problem of teachers being unable to deal with the behavioral issues surrounding retained kids.

[summer]

You're welcome - and, note: not every school district does that. Some do, but some don't. And, you're right: there are a lot of behavior problems with the student because of the growing level of frustration with the difficulty of the work. That's why I think you had a good suggestion. Kids like this need to be in a different classroom immediately. The student I mentioned, BTW, was tested for special ed, but did not "meet the standards" of special ed. There was nothing wrong with this student, except that he completely lacked the basic foundation necessary for learning more advanced material. Thanks again for your reply, valkyrieanne.