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Welcome to the Stan King show, our guest tonight is Paula Sailing. She is a published advocate
for social promotion in the public schools. Her paper on titled ìFor Social Promotionî
can be found in the link on this site. Paula, welcome.
Thank you Stan!
So Paula what is social promotion, and how is it practiced in the public schools?
----
The practice of social promotion was started in the 1930ís as a response to the more traditional
practice of grade retention for failing studentsÖ.
Social promotion differs from the traditional model of retention because the student is
allowed to continue their education at the next grade level weather they have passed
the academic standards of the previous grade level or not.
Ok, so what are the procedures for social promotion? I have not seen any national policy
standards for schools to followÖ
Your right Stan that there are no national standards for promotionÖ.
While the procedures for social promotion vary, it generally requires the approval of
teachers, school administrators, and parents to promote the studentÖ.
It is often difficult to tell if a student is socially promoted, because administrators
often make the paperwork look like the student passed the academic requirements.
---- I see, so schools are not openly admitting
that they promote studentsÖ Why is that?
Probably because of accountability standards under the No Child Left behind Act. Also school
administrators do not like to admit that they socially promote students that have failed
their academic areas.
The taxpayers do not want to hear that a student was socially promoted when they failed there
academics. The taxpayers donít realize that there may be other reasons to promote a student
beside academics. -------
But is socially promoting students in the best interest of the school then?
Financially it is more cost effective to keep the student with their peers then to just
repeat the grade. Think about it, does repeating a grade with
the same teachers that failed the student in the first place make any since? That is
paying for failure twice. -----------
While that is true, are we not passing the buck? With social promotion, are we not sending
the student onto a grade that they are not prepared for?
Maybe, but a change in academic setting may also help the struggling student.
And what about the teacher that has to work with the promoted student?
How do you mean?
Wonít the teacher have to catch the promoted student up to par, AND teach the rest of their
class? Bear in mind that classes today average 30
students.
HummmÖ. That would make life interesting in the classÖ
You have to admit, itís not fair to the teachers and other classmates. The teacher should be
able to teach one class of students at the same grade level, not one class with two different
grade levels.
HummmÖ That would make sinceÖI guess it can be passing the buck to the next grade
level teacher. And I suppose that would create further issues
that the students and administration will have to look at.
------- Now Paula, in your report, you state that
social promotion benefits students that fail high-stakes test.
Yes
But how is it a good thing to promote a student that fails such an important test? Isnít
it important that students show that they are proficient in academics?
Yes it is important. But one test should not be used against the student for such a important
matter like going on to the next grade. The student should be judged on the whole of there
academic performance.
And what if the student fails in their overall academics?
What?
What if the student fails in their overall academic performance?
Well thenÖ. HummmÖthen we need to determine why they failed.
And what then? Do we promote them, hold them back, what?
UmmmÖ
If the student fails, they should bear the consequences of that failure. They should
not be promoted in that case.
HummmmÖ.(cricket noise)
While youíre thinking on that, letís take a commercial break.