Read the information on Grade Retention in the section teaching in an era of reform on p. 229 in the Intro. to Teaching book. State your position on this issue.
This is a very hard issue to take a position but I am going to have to say that I am for it. I think that if you are passing a student even though they have not mastered the skills to go on, you are making it more likely that they will not master the skills in the grade that they will be moving on to. You are also showing the student that did not learn anything because they simply did not do the homework and did not pay attention in class that it is okay not to work hard because they will still be able to move on. Being held back may cause them to have emotional issues but I think having them move to a level that they are not ready for would be even more emotionally damaging because they are moving past a level that they did not understand to a level that they definatally will not understand. This will be very frustrating and hard on the student because they will think that they are incapable of learning.
As a whole, I agree with the concept of grade retention. Students need to be able to feel comfortable with the skills they have been taught before being expected to master lessons demanded in the years to come. In order for retention to have a positive effect on a student, both the parents/guardians and the educators need to put forth a substantial amount of effort. Retention should not be presented as a negative decision, but as a way for a student to work on bettering their understanding of a given curriculum. The issue of the emotional issues that may occur as a result of retention could be lessened if a student was retained at a younger age (early in elementary school) compared to later in his or her educational career (high school). Teachers need to start analyzing the progress of each of their students during the early stages of their educational journey. Whether a student is retained or enrolled in an after-school program to aid in the mastering of academia skills, money will be spent. No price should be put on the quality of a child’s education. Each student needs to be observed and placed in the environment he or she feels comfortable in to learn the concepts that are grade appropriate.
As far as grade retention goes, I have to say that I do not completely agree with it. It is a ridiculous idea, to me, to expect a student to truly master anything. Sure, in many cases, new subject build on ones previously learned, but I can honestly say that I do not think that I have mastered everything that I have done in school. Practice makes perfect, and when you enter a new grade, teachers go over what you have learned from the previous year, anyway, and that allows the students and teachers to get on the same page. I think that after school help would certainly be okay, but I feel like holding a child back simply because they did not "master a skill" is a bit ridiculous. I think the effect of the child's emotional issues that will come from this, especially in older grades, far outweighs the benefit of "mastering" a skill.
Grade retention is sometimes the only avenue that is left for some children when they continually fail to meet the state standards and keep up with their peers. Unfortunately, for a lot of these students it does not appear that all avenues of intervention are explored before repeating a grade becomes necessary. A lot of the responsibility of this intervention falls on the parents. If close communication is kept with the child’s teachers then the parents should know at any given time during the school year whether their child is struggling with certain studies instead of discovering their child is not keeping up at the middle of the fourth quarter of the school year. As a teacher, I will do what is necessary so that each and every one of my student’s are presented with the opportunity to succeed in the future, even suggesting retaining them if I see it necessary. If struggle becomes apparent, it is both the teacher and the parents responsibility to intervene and begin after school tutoring, presenting the child with additional work that the parents will help them with after school, or entering additional after school programs to help the student keep up. It is in my opinion that many students fail because they were not given the full opportunity to succeed, making retention, in some instances necessary. If the above mentioned avenues do not improve academic performance, retention becomes unavoidable. Once a student is lost in their school work they will begin to develop a low self esteem, and potentially develop behavioral outbursts (becoming the class clown) to avoid the fact that they do not know what is going on in the classroom, if they are older substance abuse also becomes a threat that they will be more susceptible to.
While reading the issue about grade retention, I agree with the opposing side of the issue. I think that grade retention is wrong unless the student is willingly to stay back another year in the same grade. I feel as if there are better ways then just to retain them another year in the same grade. They could stay after school, teachers could make after school study tables, and other things to help them out while they are in that grade the first time. It also doesn't mean that a student doesn't understand what is going on, some children just don't put all their effort into their work which could cause them to be retained. This could then make those childrens bored about learning the material again causeing them to cause trouble. After all of this I would not be for grade retention.
Retention is a hard issue for teachers because in a way you are affecting a childs future. If I were faced with the decision on whether to retain a student i would have a hard time because on one hand if you let this studnet pass and they have not mastered the content in the present grade then they will see that they dod not have to strive in the other grades becaue the teacher will just pass them, and then they wold have the possibility of not mastering the content that is needed in the future. On the other hadn you would be seperating the studnet form all of the other peers that he/she has become friends with over the last year and you would be affecting the date for when they graduate and move onto higher learning. Holding a studnet back could casue them to have emotional isues and as a progressive teacher the emotions of my students are very important to me, this might cause a student ot hink that htey are not capable of learning the material that they need to and they might even call themseleves dumb and this is not appropriate. I think that thissi one of the hardest issues other then relgion that a teacher might have to deal with in their classrooms.
I can honestly say that i do not believe in grade retention at all. Firstly if a student is that far behind that he/she is in need of retention the teachers at that school are doing something wrong. Secondly this is why there is a little thing called DI or differentiated instruction. with this tool you will be able to reach children with different learning capabilities. I believe that grade retention would just be detrimental to a child. They would be learning the same things they did the previous year so the entire year would be a overload of stuff they already learned, and the teacher would wonder why theyre bored and acting out. also i think this would lead to social problems with the child because they were just fine in their class with all the kids he/ she knew and you put him/her into a class of younger kids who they don't know. Now that kid would be teased by his/her old classmates(It may not happen like this but thats what i see in my head about this issue)
I would have to say that I am for retention. If you let a student pass because you want them to be with their age group, then they are thinking that its ok to fail and not work hard for what they want. I do believe that there are other alternitives, but students learn in different ways. I also believe in retention because growing up, my brother was held back twice and had problems in school, but if the teachers would have gave up on him and sent him on his way, then he would have dropped out by now.
8 comments:
This is a very hard issue to take a position but I am going to have to say that I am for it. I think that if you are passing a student even though they have not mastered the skills to go on, you are making it more likely that they will not master the skills in the grade that they will be moving on to. You are also showing the student that did not learn anything because they simply did not do the homework and did not pay attention in class that it is okay not to work hard because they will still be able to move on. Being held back may cause them to have emotional issues but I think having them move to a level that they are not ready for would be even more emotionally damaging because they are moving past a level that they did not understand to a level that they definatally will not understand. This will be very frustrating and hard on the student because they will think that they are incapable of learning.
As a whole, I agree with the concept of grade retention. Students need to be able to feel comfortable with the skills they have been taught before being expected to master lessons demanded in the years to come. In order for retention to have a positive effect on a student, both the parents/guardians and the educators need to put forth a substantial amount of effort. Retention should not be presented as a negative decision, but as a way for a student to work on bettering their understanding of a given curriculum. The issue of the emotional issues that may occur as a result of retention could be lessened if a student was retained at a younger age (early in elementary school) compared to later in his or her educational career (high school). Teachers need to start analyzing the progress of each of their students during the early stages of their educational journey. Whether a student is retained or enrolled in an after-school program to aid in the mastering of academia skills, money will be spent. No price should be put on the quality of a child’s education. Each student needs to be observed and placed in the environment he or she feels comfortable in to learn the concepts that are grade appropriate.
As far as grade retention goes, I have to say that I do not completely agree with it. It is a ridiculous idea, to me, to expect a student to truly master anything. Sure, in many cases, new subject build on ones previously learned, but I can honestly say that I do not think that I have mastered everything that I have done in school. Practice makes perfect, and when you enter a new grade, teachers go over what you have learned from the previous year, anyway, and that allows the students and teachers to get on the same page. I think that after school help would certainly be okay, but I feel like holding a child back simply because they did not "master a skill" is a bit ridiculous. I think the effect of the child's emotional issues that will come from this, especially in older grades, far outweighs the benefit of "mastering" a skill.
Grade retention is sometimes the only avenue that is left for some children when they continually fail to meet the state standards and keep up with their peers. Unfortunately, for a lot of these students it does not appear that all avenues of intervention are explored before repeating a grade becomes necessary. A lot of the responsibility of this intervention falls on the parents. If close communication is kept with the child’s teachers then the parents should know at any given time during the school year whether their child is struggling with certain studies instead of discovering their child is not keeping up at the middle of the fourth quarter of the school year. As a teacher, I will do what is necessary so that each and every one of my student’s are presented with the opportunity to succeed in the future, even suggesting retaining them if I see it necessary.
If struggle becomes apparent, it is both the teacher and the parents responsibility to intervene and begin after school tutoring, presenting the child with additional work that the parents will help them with after school, or entering additional after school programs to help the student keep up.
It is in my opinion that many students fail because they were not given the full opportunity to succeed, making retention, in some instances necessary. If the above mentioned avenues do not improve academic performance, retention becomes unavoidable. Once a student is lost in their school work they will begin to develop a low self esteem, and potentially develop behavioral outbursts (becoming the class clown) to avoid the fact that they do not know what is going on in the classroom, if they are older substance abuse also becomes a threat that they will be more susceptible to.
While reading the issue about grade retention, I agree with the opposing side of the issue. I think that grade retention is wrong unless the student is willingly to stay back another year in the same grade. I feel as if there are better ways then just to retain them another year in the same grade. They could stay after school, teachers could make after school study tables, and other things to help them out while they are in that grade the first time. It also doesn't mean that a student doesn't understand what is going on, some children just don't put all their effort into their work which could cause them to be retained. This could then make those childrens bored about learning the material again causeing them to cause trouble. After all of this I would not be for grade retention.
Retention is a hard issue for teachers because in a way you are affecting a childs future. If I were faced with the decision on whether to retain a student i would have a hard time because on one hand if you let this studnet pass and they have not mastered the content in the present grade then they will see that they dod not have to strive in the other grades becaue the teacher will just pass them, and then they wold have the possibility of not mastering the content that is needed in the future. On the other hadn you would be seperating the studnet form all of the other peers that he/she has become friends with over the last year and you would be affecting the date for when they graduate and move onto higher learning. Holding a studnet back could casue them to have emotional isues and as a progressive teacher the emotions of my students are very important to me, this might cause a student ot hink that htey are not capable of learning the material that they need to and they might even call themseleves dumb and this is not appropriate. I think that thissi one of the hardest issues other then relgion that a teacher might have to deal with in their classrooms.
I can honestly say that i do not believe in grade retention at all. Firstly if a student is that far behind that he/she is in need of retention the teachers at that school are doing something wrong. Secondly this is why there is a little thing called DI or differentiated instruction. with this tool you will be able to reach children with different learning capabilities. I believe that grade retention would just be detrimental to a child. They would be learning the same things they did the previous year so the entire year would be a overload of stuff they already learned, and the teacher would wonder why theyre bored and acting out. also i think this would lead to social problems with the child because they were just fine in their class with all the kids he/ she knew and you put him/her into a class of younger kids who they don't know. Now that kid would be teased by his/her old classmates(It may not happen like this but thats what i see in my head about this issue)
I would have to say that I am for retention. If you let a student pass because you want them to be with their age group, then they are thinking that its ok to fail and not work hard for what they want. I do believe that there are other alternitives, but students learn in different ways. I also believe in retention because growing up, my brother was held back twice and had problems in school, but if the teachers would have gave up on him and sent him on his way, then he would have dropped out by now.
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