Memphis 3rd-graders will be exempt from failing and being held back School Science News for Kids

Memphis 3rd-graders will be exempt from failing and being held back

Posted by Jaxon Murnin on July 4, 2011 Leave a comment (0) Go to comments

New state legislation that ends the decades-long practice of socially promoting third-graders won’t have much impact in Memphis.

The measure requires Tennessee third-graders to show basic understanding of curriculum through standardized test scores or daily grades before passing to the fourth grade.

The bill passed both houses late in the session and awaits Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature. If he signs it, the change becomes law July 1.

But Memphis City Schools’ administrators expect no change because the legislation banning social promotion exempts districts with research-based summer “interventions.”

About two years ago, the Memphis City Schools board approved a no-flunk policy for students in K-3, saying too many factors in poor communities negatively affect early learning. Making children accountable for their parents’ choices or income is punitive, the board said, and creates hostility to learning.

Alfred Hall, chief of staff at MCS, says third grade “is a key benchmark year for us,” adding that early interventions such as extra time on subjects, e-learning and summer school “drive our whole process” of getting students to proficiency by that time, eliminating the need for retention.

Shelby County Schools spokesman Shawn Pachucki said the suburban system also has data-based intervention programs, but he’s uncertain whether the district will be exempt from the new legislation. Pachucki said district officials with more knowledge of the issue weren’t available for comment Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday.

Instead, Pachucki released a statement that said all county students in grades K-8 are “benchmarked” at least four times a year to measure their proficiency in language arts and math. Students who aren’t proficient in those subjects are placed in intervention programs and are continually assessed throughout the school year.

“These benchmarks, along with data from standardized tests and day-to-day performance in all subject areas, are used to determine if a child is adequately prepared for promotion to the next grade level,” Pachucki said in an e-mail.

State officials estimate 45,000 students a year are socially promoted in Tennessee. At an average cost of $10,000 a year to educate a child, it would cost Tennessee $450 million to retain them.

While social promotion is back under attack in Republican-dominated statehouses, the issue has had critics in both parties, including former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

“The debate hinges on the cost of holding someone back, including decreased self-esteem,” said University of Arkansas researcher Gary Ritter. “Is that a higher cost than moving ahead when he or she may not be able to do the work?”

Ritter, who is in favor of the ban, says the burden of proof used to be on the teacher.

Ending social promotion “shifts the default,” Ritter said. “If a child is not performing at grade level, now the default is they are going to be held back unless we provide other evidence.”

When Florida passed a similar bill in 2002, the number of third-graders detained went from 1 to 10 percent in a year, according to Marcus Winters, researcher at Colorado University.

“We looked at the policy for the first two years after they were held back. What we found was that students were performing better than if they had been socially promoted.”

Memphis City Schools board member Betty Mallott questions the wisdom of tying promotion to achievement at the same time the state is dramatically increasing course rigor.

“If we are not careful, we will be demanding every student perform at grade level at an impossible rate.

“We as educators may not be able to provide every student what they need in order to meet the rate of improvement required for the new standards. It won’t be the fault of the students; it will be a resource problem.”