I’m supposed to write on Jordan’s report card that he is promoted to sixth grade. He shouldn’t be promoted to sixth grade. He hasn’t done the work at fifth grade. He reads at a third grade level. He’s not ready for sixth grade. Yet, I’m not allowed to make the decision that this child needs a second chance at fifth grade. I have to promote him because it might hurt him emotionally to not be with his friends.
I’ve had other students like Jordan before – students who miss a third of the school year, students who don’t try because they’re so far behind as it is, and students who never do the assignments. I feel the same way every time- dread mixed with worry. I dread having to write the next grade level in the section that reads, next year’s assignment with my signature below, and I worry Jordan will be dropping out of school in the next few years.
The funny thing about this is that elementary students
I recently had a conversation with a high school teacher who didn’t know that I, as an elementary school teacher, didn’t have the power to retain students. She was appalled. Suddenly the surprised reaction her students had to failing her class started to make sense. In high school, things change. Suddenly, you can fail. You might not even graduate! What a terrible lesson to learn so late in your education.
I wonder if the decision to promote elementary students, regardless of their knowledge and skills, has been worth it? We know this decision isn’t a cure-all for low self-esteem, because these students know they’re behind. Do they “catch up” in middle school and high school? Do they remain among their peers, as Jordan will do next year? I don’t know. I’m not there. I sure hope someone’s keeping track of them. If not to look out for the Jordans in our schools; then to ease my dread and worry that writing “sixth grade” on the next year’s assignment line truly is best for kids.
I completely agree that we need to worry less about the emotional response of kids and more about their long term future. I see kids year after year in middle school who are behind 2,3, even 4 grade levels in math and/or reading, yet they are continually passed on. And my middle school, the kids know that we (the teachers) have no power to retain them. I have kids that tell me “you can’t hold me back without my parent’s permission, so what does it matter?”. Hard to respond to that when it is the absolute truth!
I passed out report cards today. Immediately my kids all ripped them open and found that place where I write their next year’s assignment. All of them shouting, “I passed!” “I’m a sixth grader!” Savannah even asked me directly if everyone passed. I ducked the question.
I met with Jordan’s mom that morning. I don’t think I was able to communicate it clearly through the interpreter. But I tried. I told her it wasn’t up to me to decide, but I felt he wasn’t ready, and he’s going to need her help. Lots of it. I think the other issue I’ve been avoiding is parent responsibility. Leonel never did his homework and never tried because his parents never insisted upon it. I think things would be different if she had been more involved. That’s still no excuse. He’s not ready and we shouldn’t be moving him into the next grade level because this pattern isn’t going to help him in the long run. I think we need to make these decisions carefully, on a case by case basis. It’s better if we can catch them early, like Organized Chaos mentioned. But for students who we think may learn a valuable lesson about having to do the work to pass a class, I think 5th grade may be the perfect time, before they hit middle school.
Mark, we need some better education researchers out there. I see this confusion with causation and correlation all the time. If anyone knows of a reputable research study about drop outs and retention, I’d love to see it.
I held a kid back last year. He was woefully behind and everyone at our school agreed. But I had to convince his mom. Which I did; I brought work samples and data that made a compelling argument. He started with me again this fall and things went much better. He was still behind, but not hopelessly. In the middle of winter, however, things changed when he perceived an insult from another staff member and the mother decided to home school him. Presto! he was instantly promoted to the next grade. At the end of the day, parents have the last say, at least in grade school.
Aren’t you lucky that your current students probably don’t figure out that you don’t actually have the power to retain them until they are in their new teacher’s class at the next grade level? Oh yea, this probably happens at the fourth grade level as well. Let’s stop worrying about Jordan’s feelings because he has bigger problems ahead only because we didn’t want to hurt him emotionally. Jordan needed to start learn consequences early on. When are we going to have the guts to make drastic but important promotion policy changes?
I think we need to worry a little less about the child’s emotional response. A little discomfort now could mean actual success later, whereas moving them on just to move them on might mean years of struggle and the end result being less than what might have been.
There is the debate about the correlation between kids who are retained an later dropouts. I think that people are quick to jump on that as causation, rather than correlation. I don’t think retaining a kid causes them to drop out, I think that if a kid is going to drop out of high school there are many other factors which lead to that…probably similar underlying factors as what would lead them to need to be retained in the first place.
I say if the teacher believes they ought to be help back, it should happen. I wish that the system and society saw it the same way.
I teach kindergarten and first grade, so we have a bit more power over retentions. In fact, we tend to lean to the side of asking children to stay back another year in kindergarten or first grade because another year of those grades never hurt anyone, and better early on instead of later when it could be more emotionally upsetting. Even so, I’ve had children I’ve recommended for retention who were passed to the next grade because of their size. There is nothing sadder than watching a student absolutely fail in second grade, knowing you could have given them one more year to firm up their reading and math skills before sending them on. Alternatively, it’s incredible to watch a child flourish in their second year of kindergarten and go on to be on grade level the rest of their elementary career.
If you were to draw a line denoting the point at which students had to earn credits to advance, where would that be? Is 6th grade too early or too late?
As a high school teacher, one of my biggest hurdles is teaching many of the students that they have to earn their way through the classes. Many just don’t believe me until they see their 10th grade schedules with a number of repeat courses listed.
Personally, I feel that 9th grade is too late to change the system suddenly and expect kids to adjust after 8-9 years of conditioning.