Holding a child back in school

[bscott108]

What is the name of your state? NC

My 8th grader has failed 2/3 of this past school year and has struggled with the previous 2 years. My husband and I have choosen to hold him back in the 8th grade for another year, however, we are being told that is not an option by the school's principal. We have told her we will go to the local school board, but she advised there was no need as the final decision is hers. Can she do this? What legal action do we have? I don't want allow my son to continue to fail. I feel it is in his best interest at this point to repeat the 8th grade. Can you provide any direction?

 

[BelizeBreeze]

First, I suggest you read the research by NASP, then consider summer school.

Although you can address the school board, doing so now will do nothing to alleviate the problem your child is having. If, after summer school, she continues to exibit problems, then you can address the situation.

 

[GaAtty]

By the time a child has reached eighth grade, you should know exactly why the child is not doing good in school. Assuming that this child can read anything even close to grade level, this child can read well enough to be able to comprehend and respond meaningfully on psychoeducational testing. That kind of testing will determine the reason for poor performance, particularly if it is due to a learning disability. Such testing will also show your child's intellectual ability, as well as the best way this child learns, and any other problems that may be interfering with learning, such as depression. The fact that your child is doing poorly is not nearly as stunning as the fact that you don't yet know the reason why, and you have had presumably 12-13 years to figure it out. Spend some money on some good testing, and find out the reason. It is a little late to do this, it should have been done at the first sign of serious academic problems, which sounds like that would have been last year. If you have had testing done and the problem wasn't uncovered, try another psychologist. Some are very good, some are not so good. Keep trying until you find the reason. Find your local chapter of CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or LDA (Learning Disabilities Asso. of America) and ask them for some referrals to good psychologists in the area. The reason could be anything from a hearing or vsion problem to ADHD or reading disability (dyslexia) to being in a class too difficult or too easy, to depression. and the list is endless. If the child has a disability of some sort (which sounds likely), then you need to inform the school the type of problem that the child has after your testing by a professional determines the problem. An IEP meeting can then be held with the school to develop a plan that helps the child. To keep doggedly on repeating subjects without knowing the problem is a waste of time. This child obviously learns things some way. He can read, can do some level of math, learned to dress himself and talk, etc. How did he learn those things? It is your job as a parent to find out how. By not doing that, you are permitting your child to fail over and over. After you find out the reason, more than likely tutoring will be necessary to help him catch up. But you need to know the reason for failure in order for tutoring to be the most effective.

 

[ellencee]

What is the name of your state? NC

My 8th grader has failed 2/3 of this past school year and has struggled with the previous 2 years. My husband and I have choosen to hold him back in the 8th grade for another year, however, we are being told that is not an option by the school's principal. We have told her we will go to the local school board, but she advised there was no need as the final decision is hers. Can she do this? What legal action do we have? I don't want allow my son to continue to fail. I feel it is in his best interest at this point to repeat the 8th grade. Can you provide any direction?

You have received excellent advice and I do not intend to dispute any of it; however, I live in the state of NC and have first-hand knowledge of what you speak.

Most schools in NC have taken this 'no child left behind' to mean that 'no child is held back, regardless of ability to learn and make passing grades'. The principal of the school may well lose his/her job if a child is held back a grade, thus the advice to go to the school board for permission to hold your child back. If the school board gives permission, which it is unlikely to do because there go $X of federal funding, then the principal is not held liable and his/her job is not lost because your child is held back.

My advice is to have your child tested, as you were advised to do, and remove your child from the public school system and seek private education options...that is, if you want your child to actually learn.

I'll give you an example of one child in NC who will graduate, if nothing is done to stop it, with excellent grades and no learning past the third grade. This child's learning potential max'd out in the third grade. His being held back in the third grade was nixed by the principals, the counselor, and the school board. Has he failed federally mandated test? No; he hasn't. He takes the test(s) one question at a time, in a place removed from others, with a teacher who reads him the question and the answer over and over so that later, maybe even the next day, he can give the correct answer, verbally, and move on to the next question. (As his volunteer GAL, a few years ago, I attended some of these sessions; I saw them with my own eyes and heard them with my own ears!) His homework consists of downloading and printing an article and he can't even search the topic, find an article, and print it...a family member does this for him. He takes it to school and gets an A. This has been going on for 5 years. The poor kid knows nothing past simple addition and subtraction. He can't write a sentence. He can't read above a third grade level, but he's damn good on the kids' football team and the high school coaches think he looks promising in middle school football!

NC has some serious issues with education and for whom education is supposed to be of benefit.

I wish you and your child the very best...and you won't find it in public education in NC.

EC

 

[Just Blue]

You have received excellent advice and I do not intend to dispute any of it; however, I live in the state of NC and have first-hand knowledge of what you speak.

Most schools in NC have taken this 'no child left behind' to mean that 'no child is held back, regardless of ability to learn and make passing grades'. The principal of the school may well lose his/her job if a child is held back a grade, thus the advice to go to the school board for permission to hold your child back. If the school board gives permission, which it is unlikely to do because there go $X of federal funding, then the principal is not held liable and his/her job is not lost because your child is held back.

My advice is to have your child tested, as you were advised to do, and remove your child from the public school system and seek private education options...that is, if you want your child to actually learn.

I'll give you an example of one child in NC who will graduate, if nothing is done to stop it, with excellent grades and no learning past the third grade. This child's learning potential max'd out in the third grade. His being held back in the third grade was nixed by the principals, the counselor, and the school board. Has he failed federally mandated test? No; he hasn't. He takes the test(s) one question at a time, in a place removed from others, with a teacher who reads him the question and the answer over and over so that later, maybe even the next day, he can give the correct answer, verbally, and move on to the next question. (As his volunteer GAL, a few years ago, I attended some of these sessions; I saw them with my own eyes and heard them with my own ears!) His homework consists of downloading and printing an article and he can't even search the topic, find an article, and print it...a family member does this for him. He takes it to school and gets an A. This has been going on for 5 years. The poor kid knows nothing past simple addition and subtraction. He can't write a sentence. He can't read above a third grade level, but he's damn good on the kids' football team and the high school coaches think he looks promising in middle school football!

NC has some serious issues with education and for whom education is supposed to be of benefit.

I wish you and your child the very best...and you won't find it in public education in NC.

EC

This is horrible! No wonder the United States is the laughing stock of the world when it comes to Public Education!!

 

[ellencee]

This is horrible! No wonder the United States is the laughing stock of the world when it comes to Public Education!!

Amen! Amen! (it made me say it twice...not enough 'characters' in "amen"!)
EC

 

[Just Blue]

Amen! Amen! (it made me say it twice...not enough 'characters' in "amen"!)
EC

Did you happen to see the program "Stupid in America"? I think it was on Primetime or 20/20...one of those news shows...By the end of the program I was in tears...this country blows when it comes to educating our children!

 

[ellencee]

Did you happen to see the program "Stupid in America"? I think it was on Primetime or 20/20...one of those news shows...By the end of the program I was in tears...this country blows when it comes to educating our children!

I didn't see it. There's probably an article from the network; I'll see if I can read what it had to say. Thanks!
EC

 

[Just Blue]

I didn't see it. There's probably an article from the network; I'll see if I can read what it had to say. Thanks!
EC

Here you go...get a tissue! The bit about the "rubber rooms" in New York is particularly bad!

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1500338

 

[THE PRACTICE-20]

Did you happen to see the program "Stupid in America"? I think it was on Primetime or 20/20...one of those news shows...By the end of the program I was in tears...this country blows when it comes to educating our children!

My response:

Look, the original post came out of North Carolina, one of the Dufus States. Who knows better than the kid's parents whether or not their kid is a Dummy? The only question is whether it's organic or environmental. I tend to believe it's a combination of both.

You tend to turn into a Dummy when there's trailer parks, and old pick-up trucks, and old toilets around the neighborhood. I'm just wondering when Mom is going to take the kid for her first tattoo.

IAAL

 

[ellencee]

Here you go...get a tissue! The bit about the "rubber rooms" in New York is particularly bad!

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1500338

I thought rubber rooms = students. Teachers too dangerous to be around kids being kept (and paid) in rubber rooms?! Not what I expected.

EC

 

[notsmartmark]

There are a number of retention scales on the market. These can assist with the decision.

Light's is one of the scales and is widely used. Here a blurb:
"Light's Retention Scale is a measure with a number of ranking factors such as age, size, have they been retained before, special ed. Then you tally the numbers in different categories and you get a measure of if the student would be a good candidate for retention. Light's Retention Scale consists of nineteen evaluation categories with a total of 81 possible choices. This scale can typically be administered and scored within a ten to fifteen minute period. Administration will permit the professional not only to use his or her judgment in a retention decision, but also will act as a catalyst for a more global look at a child's functioning.
The nineteen categories found on the recording form are discussed in detail with research implications in the Light's Retention Scale manual. The numbers that follow each item were assigned subjectively after a careful analysis of research pertaining to the question. In general, the reader can be certain that when an item is assigned a 0, the research has shown that this is an asset when a student is retained. When an item is assigned a 5, this means that the student will most certainly not be helped by retention and stands a good chance of doing better by being advanced.
This scale is never to be used as a "test". It is designed specifically for the school professional to use as a counseling tool during a parent conference or as a means of determining what educational and psychological research would tell us about a specific retention candidate."

Ask your child's school to conduct a "Student Study Team" meeting. Schools use different names, but the goal is to problem solve.

 

[ellencee]

There are a number of retention scales on the market. These can assist with the decision.

Light's is one of the scales and is widely used. Here a blurb:
"Light's Retention Scale is a measure with a number of ranking factors such as age, size, have they been retained before, special ed. Then you tally the numbers in different categories and you get a measure of if the student would be a good candidate for retention. Light's Retention Scale consists of nineteen evaluation categories with a total of 81 possible choices. This scale can typically be administered and scored within a ten to fifteen minute period. Administration will permit the professional not only to use his or her judgment in a retention decision, but also will act as a catalyst for a more global look at a child's functioning.
The nineteen categories found on the recording form are discussed in detail with research implications in the Light's Retention Scale manual. The numbers that follow each item were assigned subjectively after a careful analysis of research pertaining to the question. In general, the reader can be certain that when an item is assigned a 0, the research has shown that this is an asset when a student is retained. When an item is assigned a 5, this means that the student will most certainly not be helped by retention and stands a good chance of doing better by being advanced.
This scale is never to be used as a "test". It is designed specifically for the school professional to use as a counseling tool during a parent conference or as a means of determining what educational and psychological research would tell us about a specific retention candidate."

Ask your child's school to conduct a "Student Study Team" meeting. Schools use different names, but the goal is to problem solve.

Thank you for providing an example of exactly what is wrong with public education. The kid is failing the 8th grade; the kid fails. End of story.

EC