[george76]

Social promotion at any grade level is a huge disservice. Holding a kid back to learn how to read, write, do math...is a real service to the kid and to society.

The kid and the parents may freak out now, but it is for the best for their and our futures.

Learning english early is also very important.

[Tax-chick]

Social promotion at any grade level is a huge disservice.

I agree. A problem with retaining students, though, is that the teacher or curriculum that didn't teach them to read and add in the first year isn't going to teach it in the second year, either.

In a few cases it's a matter of the student's developmental readiness or effort, but when 40% of students can't read to a minimal standard, that's a systemic failure that's not going to be remedied by retention.

If high school students don't know the multiplication tables, that's because they weren't required to learn them in elementary school, and they wouldn't be, not matter how many times they took the 3rd grade.

[potlatch]

Belated BUMP george, I had a sick spell but am fine now.