No Child Left Behind?
Dear Doctor,
We have been told by the school that our sixth grader is being retained. His grades are really bad, and he doesn’t try.
We have been told different things, including that this is our choice. We are not certain about it, and we do not know what to do.
Uncertain
Dear Uncertain,
The decision is probably yours although I have heard of some districts imposing a mandate regarding retention. I am no fan of retaining young people before high school.
High School is different in that there is a set number of credits to earn. Everyone starts on an equal footing. You either do it or you do not.
Retaining during the primary and early secondary grades has never made any sense to me. An impressive weight of research says that it is of no benefit and produces its share of harm.
Retaining is often the recipe for a sense of failure and allows a system to accept little responsibility for addressing what might be wrong. Granted, there are some youngsters who appear to be looking for a limit.
Surely other forms of intervention, including alternative education, should be considered. Kindergarten is the time to "retain," if the word really applies. This is especially true for boys, who are definitely less mature than their female counterparts.
Rushing kids into the first grade makes no sense. Unfortunately many systems have abandoned their "transitional" first grades because of money crunches. Your son probably has some other reason for his difficulty. I would encourage a thorough diagnostic evaluation, possibly outside the school. Try anything before retention.
Some states, for example Florida and Texas, have been tough on retention. A huge number of "retainees" seems to be kept in the wings so some schools can do better on competitive exams. How is that for no child left behind!
Tags: child being retained, child retained, grades are really bad, retaining in schools
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