Re: Mandatory summer school
Posted by Kim/AR/math on 8/08/08
On 8/06/08, Tessa- FL wrote:
> > Kim, have you ever taught title 1? Try it sometime, you'll see
> why testing a 4th grader on 4th grade material doesn't work.
I have never taught elementary school, but I do teach in a
district that has title 1. Why do you say it doesn't work? Because
the kids fail? If the student can not do 4th grade work, and he
fails the test, then it seems to me the test does work. It is an
accurate reflection of the child's ability.
> These kids move from town to town to town, country to country,
> and are never able to get a solid backgroud in anything. So
> what should we do, keep those kids in 3rd grade when they're 14
> years old?
No, I don't think that is the answer. But I don't think passing
them along like everything is ok is the answer either. Like I
said, my school has had some success with double blocking. I also
like the idea of ALEs. My district has one in the high school, and
this year will be adding one at the elementary level.
> Some of them will never pass the test and are
> destined to work at McDonalds. There's nothing wrong with that,
> but there's something wrong with punishing schools who can't
> teach children who are unable to learn. When a kid has an IQ of
> 72 (like one of my students) he will never be on grade level.
> Because of this low IQ, he wasn't qualified for SPED because he
> was "performing at the level expected for his IQ." Should we
> keep him in elementary school until age 18?
I have encountered situations like you described where student's
IQ doesn't qualify him for sped. No, I think he should be in an
ALE.
If a student will never be on grade level, then do you think he
really deserves a diploma stating he has completed 12th grade,
when he is actually being taught at a 7th grade level?
>
> We had a debate at my school over where to place a new 11 year
> old: in 2nd grade where he belongs academically, or in 4th
> grade where he should be socially. His drug addict momma never
> sent him to school before. Of course he was put in 2nd grade
> because he'd flunk the state test and make our school look bad.
> He left and is some other school now (his 3rd school in 2
> years.)
I think there should be more alternatives like I described above.
> I'm guessing that you don't have many problems like
> this where you teach.
I do have similar problems where I teach - students who speak
little or no English, students who have been "homeschooled" when
they actually just stayed home doing nothing, highly mobile
students...
Posts on this thread, including this one
- Mandatory summer school, 8/03/08, by AYP rates.
- Re: Mandatory summer school, 8/04/08, by Tessa- 1st / FL.
- Re: Mandatory summer school, 8/05/08, by Kim/AR/math.
- Re: Mandatory summer school, 8/06/08, by Tessa- FL.
- Re: Mandatory summer school, 8/08/08, by Kim/AR/math.
- Re: Mandatory summer school, 8/08/08, by Tessa- FL.
- Re: Mandatory summer school, 8/08/08, by Kim/AR/math.
- Re: Mandatory summer school, 8/08/08, by Tessa- FL.
- Re: Mandatory summer school, 8/17/08, by OP.
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