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Monday, June 30, 2008
Should more students repeat a grade?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A story in Sunday’s paper revealed few students were held back after failing the parts of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests kids must pass for promotion.
Georgia’s third-graders must pass state reading tests for promotion and students in grades five and eight must pass reading and math tests to advance. Between 11 to 23 percent of students failed the high-stakes tests on their first try in 2006 and 2007. Only 1 to 2.5 percent of them were retained.
A state law was supposed to stop social promotion — moving students to the next grade before they were academically ready. Many states have similar laws and they have long been controversial.
Opponents say it’s wrong to base such an important decision on a single test. They point to studies showing students who repeat a grade are more likely to drop out. Other reports show these students are more likely to be minorities, students with disabilities or kids who aren’t fluent in English.
Supporters say these high-stakes tests are needed to guarantee students enter the next grade prepared for more challenging lessons. Promoting students who haven’t mastered basic skills does more harm than good, they say.
Were local school leaders correct to promote so many students who failed the CRCT? Does the state need stricter rules over when students should be retained or should the law be scrapped?
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