social promotion vs grade retention - presentation

CLINTON CLINTON BACKS CITY BACKS CITY BID TO END BID TO END

SOCIAL SOCIAL PROMOTIONPROMOTION

FLUNK WARNINGS FLUNK WARNINGS FOR 30% OF FOR 30% OF

SCHOOL KIDSSCHOOL KIDS-- Source: NY Post, Oct 1, 1999 & Mar 19, 2004

WINDY CITY SCHOOLS WINDY CITY SCHOOLS LET UP – CHICAGO LET UP – CHICAGO REVISES RULE ON REVISES RULE ON

SOCIAL PROMOTIONSOCIAL PROMOTION-- Source: NY Post, Mar 25, 2004

BUSH BEGINS ATTACK ON SOCIAL PROMOTIONBUSH BEGINS ATTACK ON SOCIAL PROMOTION

-- Source: The Victoria Advocate, Jan 26, 1999

PLAN AXES PLAN AXES ‘SOCIAL ‘SOCIAL

PROMOTION’ PROMOTION’ IN SCHOOLIN SCHOOL

-- Source: Philadelphia Daily News, Feb 10, 1998

-- Source: NY Post, Feb 11 & June 29, 2004

PARENTS PARENTS FLUNK FLUNK MIKE’S NO-MIKE’S NO-PROMOTION PROMOTION PLANPLANCOUNCIL FLUNKS COUNCIL FLUNKS

HOLD-BACK PLANHOLD-BACK PLAN

OBAMA CALLS SOCIAL OBAMA CALLS SOCIAL PROMOTION ‘A DISSERVICE’PROMOTION ‘A DISSERVICE’

-- Sources: Murphy, The Education Report, July 24, 2009 & NY Post, Oct 20, 2008

‘‘F FOR BARACK’S SCHOOL FIX’F FOR BARACK’S SCHOOL FIX’

What is …What is … Grade Retention?Grade Retention? Social Promotion?Social Promotion? The big To-Do all about?The big To-Do all about? What to do about the big To-Do?What to do about the big To-Do?

Grade Retention:Grade Retention: a.k.a., a.k.a., Grade Repetition, Grade Repetition,

Flunking, Failing, Being Held Flunking, Failing, Being Held Back, Gift of TimeBack, Gift of Time..

Refers to child Refers to child repeatingrepeating his his or her or her current grade level current grade level again in again in following yearfollowing year due to due to academic, behavioral, academic, behavioral, language or attendance language or attendance difficulties / failure to meet difficulties / failure to meet grade-level performance grade-level performance standards.standards.

-- Source: Jimerson, Woehr, Kaufman, NASP, Parent Info Handout, 2007

Social Promotion:Social Promotion:

SSometimes referred to as ometimes referred to as promotion promotion based on based on seat seat time, time, or amount of time child spent sitting or amount of time child spent sitting in school, in school, regardless of whether child regardless of whether child learned learned the necessary material.the necessary material.

-- Source: Wikipedia

The practice of The practice of promoting promoting a student to the a student to the next next grade grade despite low despite low achievement in order to achievement in order to keep with keep with social peers.social peers.

History:History:

Prior to mid-1800s:Prior to mid-1800s: 1-room 1-room

schoolhouse schoolhouse / all ages. / all ages.


Mid-1800s:Mid-1800s: Retention becomes a common practice w/ Retention becomes a common practice w/ proliferation of graded schools.proliferation of graded schools.

Early 1900s:Early 1900s: ≈ 50% of all American students retained ≈ 50% of all American students retained 1 ≥ before 13 years old.1 ≥ before 13 years old.

1930s:1930s: Social Promotion begins to spread w/ concerns Social Promotion begins to spread w/ concerns about psychosocial effects of retention.about psychosocial effects of retention.

1980s:1980s: Trend toward retention again, as concerns Trend toward retention again, as concerns re: slipping academic standards rise.re: slipping academic standards rise.

Grade Retention: FactsGrade Retention: Facts

Retention has risen over past 25 Retention has risen over past 25 years, estimated years, estimated + 40%+ 40% over past 20 years. over past 20 years.

2M >2M > students retained each year. students retained each year. 5 – 15%5 – 15% students retained each year. students retained each year. 30 – 50%30 – 50% students retained students retained

1 ≥ 1 ≥ before 9before 9thth grade. grade.

-- Source: NASP. (2003) Student GR & SP (Position Statement). Bethesda, MD: Author

Social Promotion Effects:Social Promotion Effects:

-- Source: http://www.geocities.com/solidbat/patrickhammer.jpg

Black Text = Nations participating in only one surveyBlue Text = Nations participating in both Red Text = United States scores -- Source: Leahy, Bart, www.sciencecheerleader.com. Dec 11, 2008

Average Math Scores 2007 Average Math Scores 2007 44thth & 8 & 8thth Grade Students, by country Grade Students, by country

4th Grade (TIMMS) 8th Grade (PISA)Country Average Score Country Average Score

Hong Kong SAR 607 Chinese Taipei 598

Singapore 599 Korea, Rep. of 597

Chinese Taipei 576 Singapore 593

Japan 568 Hong Kong SAR 572

Kazakhstan 549 Japan 570

Russian Federation 544 Hungary 517

England 541 England 513

Latvia 537 Russian Federation 512

Netherlands 535 9. United States 508Lithuania 530 Lithuania 506

11. United States 529 Czech Republic 50436 4870% 81%

4th Grade (TIMMS) 8th Grade (PISA)Country Average Score Country Average Score

Singapore 587 Singapore 567

Chinese Taipei 557 Chinese Taipei 561

Hong Kong SAR 554 Japan 554

Japan 548 Korea, Rep. of 553

Russian Federation 546 England 542

Latvia 542 Hungary 539

England 542 Czech Republic 539

8. United States 539 Slovenia 538

Hungary 536 Hong Kong SAR 530

Italy 535 Russian Federation 530

Kazakhstan 533 11. United States 520

-- Source: Leahy, Bart, www.sciencecheerleader.com. Dec 11, 2008

Average Science Scores 2007 Average Science Scores 2007 44thth & 8 & 8thth Grade Students, by country Grade Students, by country

Black Text = Nations participating in only one surveyBlue Text = Nations participating in both Red Text = United States scores

36 4878% 72%

Social Promotion: ConsSocial Promotion: Cons

Forces next teacher to deal w/ Forces next teacher to deal w/ under-prepared students, taking under-prepared students, taking away from prepared students.away from prepared students.

Gives parents false sense of childrens’ progress.Gives parents false sense of childrens’ progress. Robs student of an education.Robs student of an education. Sets up student for further failure.Sets up student for further failure. Sends message that one doesn’t have to work Sends message that one doesn’t have to work

hard to succeed.hard to succeed.


Grade Retention Effects:Grade Retention Effects:

Grade Retention: ConsGrade Retention: Cons

Average annual cost per student Average annual cost per student = $7500= $7500

Total annual cost of retention: Total annual cost of retention: $13B -- $13B -- $18B$18B

No evidence of long-term academic No evidence of long-term academic benefit.benefit.

Temporary gains. Immediate gains decline Temporary gains. Immediate gains decline in later grades.in later grades.

-- Sources: Xia, Glennie, Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grade Retention, Duke U. Policy Brief, Jan 2005Jimerson, Woehr, Kaufman, NASP, Parent Info Handout, 2007


5 – 11x 5 – 11x more likely to drop out.more likely to drop out. Less likely to be enrolled in Less likely to be enrolled in

post-secondary education programs.post-secondary education programs. More likely to receive lower education / More likely to receive lower education /

employment status, lower wages.employment status, lower wages. More likely to be unemployed, on More likely to be unemployed, on

public assistance, prison.public assistance, prison.



Stressful life event. (Stressful life event. (Ranked 3Ranked 3rd rd in survey in survey after blindness / loss of parent.)after blindness / loss of parent.)

Self-esteem / peer relationship / attention Self-esteem / peer relationship / attention problems.problems.

Increased rates of dangerous behavior:Increased rates of dangerous behavior:


- Drinking- Drinking - Drug use- Drug use - Suicidal intentions - Suicidal intentions- DUI- DUI - Violence- Violence - Teen pregnancy - Teen pregnancy- Crime- Crime - Depression- Depression

Social Promotion: ProsSocial Promotion: Pros

Maintains self-esteem.Maintains self-esteem. Keeps with same-age peers.Keeps with same-age peers. Facilitates sports involvement.Facilitates sports involvement. Advances further in strong areas if strong Advances further in strong areas if strong

in some, but not others.in some, but not others.


Local History:Local History:


19821982 - Stops social promotions. - Stops social promotions. Mid 1980sMid 1980s - Starts social promotions - Starts social promotions

due to problems with retention policy.due to problems with retention policy. 19991999 - Stops social promotions. - Stops social promotions. 20042004 - Reinstates social promotions when - Reinstates social promotions when

repeaters mount to 100K, driving up costs repeaters mount to 100K, driving up costs and leading to cutbacks, including those for and leading to cutbacks, including those for helping underachievers.helping underachievers.

Alternative Strategies:Alternative Strategies:

-- Source: http://www.grand-illusions.com/images/articles/articles/monty_hall/mainimage.jpg

-- Source: NASP. (2003) Student GR & SP (Position Statement). Bethesda, MD: Author

““Both grade retention & social Both grade retention & social promotion fail to improve learning or promotion fail to improve learning or facilitate positive achievement outcomes. Neither facilitate positive achievement outcomes. Neither repeating a grade nor merely moving on to the repeating a grade nor merely moving on to the next grade provides students w/ the supports they next grade provides students w/ the supports they need to improve academic & social skills.”need to improve academic & social skills.”

““NASP encourages school districts to consider a NASP encourages school districts to consider a wide array of well-researched, evidence-based, wide array of well-researched, evidence-based, effective & responsible strategies in lieu of effective & responsible strategies in lieu of retention or social promotion.”retention or social promotion.”



Early Development Early Development Programs (Pre- Programs (Pre-School)School)

Early Reading ProgramsEarly Reading Programs Student Support TeamsStudent Support Teams School-based Mental School-based Mental

Health & Behavior Health & Behavior Management ProgramsManagement Programs


Monitor Progress, ID Monitor Progress, ID Strengths & WeaknessesStrengths & Weaknesses

Parental InvolvementParental Involvement Extended Year / Day / Extended Year / Day /

Summer ProgramsSummer Programs Tutoring / MentoringTutoring / Mentoring

-- Source: http://www.jupiterimages.com/Image/royaltyFree/90287106

History:History:

Poor, minority, Poor, minority, inner-city youthinner-city youth

Boys > GirlsBoys > Girls ELLELL Late birth dates Late birth dates

(younger students)(younger students) Attention problemsAttention problems Single parent Single parent

householdshouseholds

Source – D. Johnson, Critical Issue: Beyond Social Promotion & Retention North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2001

Frequent school Frequent school changes (moving)changes (moving)

Low parental educational Low parental educational level / involvementlevel / involvement

Behavior problemsBehavior problems Low self-confidence / Low self-confidence /

self-esteemself-esteem

Grade Retention: FactsGrade Retention: Facts

History:History:

-- Source: http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/world-economic-indicators/world-gdp.html

World GDP, also known as world gross domestic product or GWP - gross world product, calculated on a nominal basis, was estimated at $65.61 trillion in 2007 by the CIA World Factbook. While the US is the largest economy, growth in world GDP of 5.2% was led by China (11.4%), India (9.2%) and Russia (8.1%).

Throughout the twentieth century the United States of America has dominated world gross domestic product, or World GDP.

In 2007, according to the International Monetary Fund, the US GDP was $13.8 trillion. Since rising from the ashes of World War II, Japan has become the second largest world economy, with a GDP of $4.4 trillion.

Germany is Europe’s largest economy and the third largest in the world, with an annual gross domestic product of $3.2 trillion.

China is close behind Germany at $3.2 trillion, and due to overtake it soon. If current growth rates continue, China will become the largest economy in the world somewhere between 2025 and 2030. The United States will be pushed down to second spot. At that time, three out of the four largest economies in the world will be Asian - China, India and Japan.

The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $46,900.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html

International Productivity New 2008 International Productivity New 2008 Estimates:Estimates:

-- http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=160 office for national statistics Oct 8 2009

GDP Per Worker (compared to UK = 100)

History:History:


History:History:

What typically happens is that administrators announce a "no social promotions" policy with a great deal of fanfare, then over the next couple of years call attention to any data that appear to suggest that the policy is working. Later, however, when it becomes clear that too many students are being retained (some repeatedly) and the administrators are confronted with angry parents, frustrated teachers, upset students, and rising costs, they quietly begin to back off by lowering standards (i.e., the test scores that will be required to earn promotion to the next grade) and by exempting certain categories of students from the policy (e.g., those who are learning English as their second language or have been assigned a special education diagnosis). Eventually they or the administrators who succeed them quietly drop the policy (without, of course, admitting that all of the problems that it created could have been foreseen if attention had been paid to the relevant research literature).

-- Source: Read more: http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2431/Social-Promotion.html#ixzz0RbZdQgVV

http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2431/Social-Promotion.html


History:History:

Attitudes toward the two policies tend to flow in cycles, with first one and then the other gaining ascendancy for a decade or so, and the same essential arguments repeated on both sides. Grade retention was ascendant in the 1990s and early 2000s, with U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, many state governors, and many state-and district-level policymakers calling for eliminating social promotion as part of their plan for reforming schools.

Read more: http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2431/Social-Promotion.html#ixzz0RbXLGZSx




History:History:

In the 1990s, Chicago Public Schools stopped promoting students to the next grade — or graduating them from high school – just because they were a certain age. Obama said it is now ”obvious” that so-called social promotion is a “disservice to students” and their parents.

http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2009/07/24/obama-on-social-promotion/


Social Promotion:Social Promotion:

Retention refers to the practice of requiring Retention refers to the practice of requiring a student who has been in a given grade a student who has been in a given grade level for a full school year to remain at that level for a full school year to remain at that level for a subsequent school year (e.g., level for a subsequent school year (e.g., "flunking"). It is estimated that currently "flunking"). It is estimated that currently over 2.4 million (5-10%) students are over 2.4 million (5-10%) students are retained every year in the United States. retained every year in the United States. On the rise for the past twenty-five years, On the rise for the past twenty-five years, retention today is estimated to cost over retention today is estimated to cost over 13 billion dollars per year to pay for the 13 billion dollars per year to pay for the extra year of schoolingextra year of schooling

-- National Association for School PsychologistsBy Gabrielle E. Anderson, Angela D. Whipple, & Shane R. Jimerson This article originally provided by NASP to The Guidance Channel (www.guidancechannel.com) andposted on their Therapy and Counseling page, July 2002. Grade RetentionAchievement andMental Health Outcomes

Current Trend:Current Trend: Citing the "impressive success" of his own administration's anti-social-

promotion policies in city schools, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today that the city would expand the program by ending automatic advancement in the fourth and sixth grades.

Bloomberg spoke at the Patrick Henry Preparatory School on East 103 street in front of children's books, his schools chancellor, Joel Klein, and the deputy mayor for education, Dennis Walcott (who he thanked for a "brief and thankfully uneventful" time as president of a temproary Board of Education). He said it would be "inconceivable" that his appointees on the educational panel would fail to support the plan.

After much touting of his record in improving test scores under his control, the mayor took questions on a wide variety of topics, though most concerned the fatal crash between a small plane and a helicopter above the Hudson River this weekend.

http://www.politickerny.com/4842/bloomberg-picks-social-promotion-nra


http://www.politickerny.com/4593/bloomberg-dives-steaming-pile-albany

Current Trend:Current Trend: No Child Left Behind. And it could be explained in a single sentence -- "Test all students

every year to hold schools accountable for closing achievement gaps." In Chicago, we went through this argument at the time that was very controversial --

Peter will remember this -- but in retrospect seems obvious, which was ending the practice of social promotion. This notion that we should just graduate kids because they've reached a certain age and we don't want to embarrass them, despite the fact that they may not be able to read, that is a disservice to students; that's a disservice to parents.

And what we want to do is raise standards, but also provide the kinds of best practices, with money behind it, that evidence shows allows every child to meet these standards. And that's what this Race to the Top is all about.

-- Shttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/education/interview.html?hpid=topnewsource: Wikipedia

Current Trend:Current Trend: So now comes “Race to the Top,” which the Obama Administration claims will reward only those states that raise their

academic standards, improve teacher quality and expand the reach of charter schools. The Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” program is using federal money to encourage states to better track student

progress; recognize and reward good teachers; and close chronically low-performing schools, replacing them with higher-quality charter schools

Test-Based Grade Retention Program Fails in Chicago Subject: K-12 Testing Status: Archived Issue: Jan 2000 The first independent study of Chicago’s expensive grade retention program shows that about 70% of the 10,000 students who

were required to repeat a grade in 1997 failed to meet minimum test scores for promotion set by the school system, even after test- prep summer school and a year of retention — at an annual cost exceeding $100 million. Retained students gained no more than similar low-achieving Chicago students who had simply been promoted before the new policy was put in place

http://www.fairtest.org/test-based-grade-retention-program-fails-chicago

-- Shttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/education/interview.html?hpid=topnewsource: Wikipedia

social promotion vs grade retention - presentation

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