Falling Behind

As testing starts and the school year comes to a close, the most frequently asked question by my students is whether every test, grade, or project will hinder or improve their chances of proceeding to the eighth grade. I typically tell my students that if they are passing all of their classes they will be promoted. However, my response to students who are struggling to pass isn’t as concrete. In a NPR segment, Tovia Smith narrates the debate concerning the effectiveness of retaining students to improve their reading scores.

During the segment, Tim Taylor, president of Colorado Succeeds, maintains that retention benefits students by preventing them from having a false sense of academic achievement. In contrast, teachers discuss how retaining students is detrimental to a child’s social development and lowers academic expectations. Additionally, many anti-retention advocates argue that states should focus more on the issue of illiteracy by allocating funds to provide more tutoring opportunities instead of stigmatizing struggling readers. In Baltimore, the debate about holding students back remains blurry. A Baltimore Sun article describes how social promotion and “summer learning packets” were commonplace in 2003.

While Baltimore City Schools have taken greater strides to include more summer school opportunities and grade level interventions, teachers continue to discuss how students are promoted without knowing essential skills for the next grade level. My students have also voiced concerns about students being promoted despite their academic shortcomings, which in their perception lowers the academic expectations for the entire school. I agree that students receive mixed messages about academic expectations, and I question whether our present use of summer school and teacher accountability initiatives hold students responsible for their role in education. How can we ensure that we encourage taking ownership and foster confidence in our children while maintaining clear academic expectations?