{"id":1333,"date":"2015-02-18T12:00:29","date_gmt":"2015-02-18T06:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/?p=1333"},"modified":"2015-02-22T15:00:58","modified_gmt":"2015-02-22T09:00:58","slug":"social-promotion-it-rankles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/?p=1333","title":{"rendered":"Social promotion– it rankles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some expressions simply rankle. But even so, their overuse leads them to become part of the lexicon, which in turn works toward acceptance.<\/p>\n

Let me explain:<\/p>\n

This week, the GOP-controlled New Mexico House is tackling what is called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153social promotion,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which has led to passionate debates on whether to retain third-grade school kids if they haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t acquired the tools to read at grade level. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve already written considerably on this topic \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you can probably infer that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m opposed to giving kids a second helping of third grade \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and my aim is to write mainly about the semantics of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153social promotion.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Having taught at least one year at every level, from first grade through graduate school, I wince at hearing the term \u00e2\u20ac\u0153social promotion.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d To me it smacks of some kind of favoritism. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost as if a pair of powerful parents have been politicking principals with the insistence that their child mustn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be made to repeat third grade.<\/p>\n

Social promotion also smacks of pressure having been applied, as if the child about to repeat third grade belongs somewhere in the galaxy of favored children. Therefore, to some, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all right to hold back some other kids, but not mine.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Of course, there are compelling arguments on both sides. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true that a kid who hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mastered the right language tools by the end of third grade may find the coming scholastic path rigorous and frustrating. But this kind of retention presupposes a lot of factors.<\/p>\n

What if some pupils\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 breakfast consists only of a Big Gulp and a Pop Tart? What if barrio kids, for example, haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had a nutritious meal since yesterday? And we might even ask about children who receive adequate meals at school, but toss the apple and the vegetables in order to leave room for the chips and hot dog.<\/p>\n

I realize I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been out of the classroom for a long time. But my observations are keen enough to see when the trash barrel by the cafeteria contains dozens of unopened, or only-played-with milk cartons, to give the appearance that at least some of the product has been consumed.<\/p>\n

We hear much about the frustration, humiliation and desperation students experience after they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been \u00e2\u20ac\u0153socially promoted\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t master the learning in the higher grades. That may be true, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also equally likely that repeating third grade will be traumatic.<\/p>\n

Proponents of the bill ought to take care of several matters, among them:<\/p>\n