in public schools....everyone passes 8th grade no matter what.
in 8th grade, kids are passed irrespective of their learning experience. Indeed, kids are passed irrespective of their learning experiences in k through 8.
It’s high school when kids are finally held accountable for passing.
Have you seen the writings of students these days? No concept of paragraphs or syntax, no ability to spell correctly. Most hate to read and seem proud of that fact. I see this on social media all the time. Kids these days seem proud of the fact that they are ignorant.