Here is a link to an interesting article that discusses this very dilemma
Ellie
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
PASSING ALL STUDENTS
It has been brought to my attention that teachers are very discouraged (or forbidden) to fail a student even when they are not even close to meeting the course requirements. After a great deal of thought, I am still on the fence as to whether or not passing students (when they have failed the coarse) is an okay idea. A biology teacher at SJ Willis thought this was a terrible idea that removed the incentive for kids to try. She believed it was just a government tactic to save money. Many others believe that a student failing is the result of the students social/personal problems and that it is important to keep them moving through the school system. I am aware that not every student will be great at math or English, but I do think we should assume that students are at a certain academic level when they move to the next grade. I am not sure that I will be comfortable passing a grade 11 student that is barely literate. I wonder what your thoughts on this are???
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9 comments:
I had a similar discussion with a friend who`s been teaching for a few years. This teacher was not governed by the provincial government to save money, yet he believed that if a student put in an honest effort, the student didn`t deserve to fail. This isn`t to say that he didn`t fail anyone. I think that a teacher has to be aware of how the student is doing in all of their classes. I believe that if a student is doing quite well in most courses (say all science courses), but is struggling with english or social studies, some leeway (or extra encouragement to finish assignments, study etc...) should be given. Passisng all students however, helps no one.
Ellie: interesting article, and really ridiculous. The lack of professionalism on the part of the Principals highlighted would be very disheartening.
I think that there’s too much emphasis on success and passing everyone. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we learn to live with our weaknesses. In many cases we learn more from our failures. Obviously, there’s no problem being bad at something, and there should be an emphasis on separating the person from the academic side of things. However, if a student is weak at all subjects, then there would need to be a rethink as to whether the school system was “right” for the child in question.
Also, if a student who should be getting 30% scores 50%, then what happens to the student at the upper end? Will he/she be bumped up from 90% to 110%?
How difficult is it though, to have a really positive personal relationship with a student (as in the student behaves, and there’s good banter between teacher and student) while at the same time the student is not doing well academically?
Oh, and for the record, if the student fails, the he/she fails. Surely, if the teacher provides the framework, attempts to motivate the student, provides a positive learning environment , and lots of effort, understanding and patience, then there needs to be a return on the students part in terms of respect and effort. (Though there will be special cases…)
I am also on the fence when it comes to passing a student that did not display a basic knowledge or did not put any effort into the class. My mom is a teacher and I have had many conversations with her throughout the year about her frustrations about particular students that do the minimum requirement to pass. They know the system really well. My mom has had to make more I packages for students that are failing her class so they can get that 50 and move on. In the end my mom works hard to try and get them to hand in completed work to count towards their grade. Many of the students respect my mom and enjoy her class but are just looking for a pass and have told her that. There are also some students that put in effort but barely pass the class. A teacher needs to use various assessment methods in order to assess the student on all their areas of achievement in which some they may excel at. If the students are willing to put the extra effort in to improve their marks, so should we in aiding them to succeed. I know it is an ongoing issue for many teachers.
Thinking about this issue before I began this program - I thought this was a pretty clear cut issue: they don't do the work correctly (or at all), they don't pass. Simple.
My eyes have really been opened now to the subtleties of assessing student performance. I want to believe that it's as simple as I thought it was initially, but I know that some particular students are going to make it difficult - you want them to pass, but they're not holding up their end, with doing the work or putting in the effort (or are just unable to "get it") - similar to Ciaran's question.
The student I who I was tutoring (I mentioned once in class) who couldn't do basic arithmetic without a calculator was in Applications Math 11. She had just moved to town from Ontario, where she previously attended private school (and was now in public school). Apparently she was a high level student before, and was now failing this class.
Because families directly pay for private school, are they treated more like customers? i.e. the customer (student) is always right...? I want to believe that she was an isolated case, but I really can't.
This is a very subjective area! It's hard for us to say, "yes I will help a struggling student along," or "No they need to show they are competent." In reality we are going to have to look from a case to case basis in order to be fair.
I feel that passing a struggling or reluctant student through the early years of Grad 8 and Grad 9 might be advantageous. As that same student moves into senior level classes they have a wider selection of ability appropriate classes to help them get through. Communications 11 instead of English 11, and an simpler Earth Science 11 instead of Science 11. These options are created in part to keep those individuals in the system and hopefully help them achieve their diploma.
I hope that in my future Social Studies classes I will look at individual effort when deciding how to guide each student who is having difficulties.
I'm really on the fence with this one as well... I read the article and I agree with Ciaran's assessment of it...interesting and really ridiculous.
I was in the same boat as Donal before I began the program, but now I don't know where I stand anymore. My issue with passing students who are failing is this: if they aren't putting in the effort, why do they deserve to move on with the rest who ARE doing what they can? In the past, my argument was that if we kept passing students these students, what kind of values would we be teaching them? That it's okay to not meet deadlines? That you can get through life with the most minimum of effort? That it's okay to not be able to read or put a proper sentence together?
But now I understand that there are circumstances to consider and that's what makes it so hard to come to a conclusion. I would hate to see a future full of illiterate sheep, but what do we do with the ones who are honestly trying.
Ciaran: I totally agree with what you said, especially in the last paragraph of your blog. If the student fails despite all the teacher is doing to facilitate a positive learning environment (and it's not related to special circumstances), then the student fails. Seems harsh, but some people need to start taking responsibility for their own lives.
Did I just contradict myself?????
What about that child in your class who sits in the back of your room, just waiting until they’re old enough to legally drop out of high school? What about those kids who "Just don't care"? What do we do when our school district tells us that we can’t fail these sorts of students? I know it would drive me up the wall - there's only so much you can do to motivate an unmotivated student. This is why I'm so against this policy.
I've heard that this sort of policy is even worse in elementary schools. Every child is pushed to the next grade each year, even if they don't have to social or mental capabilities to move on. Then, once they hit middle school or high school, they get swept up and lost in the system.
I guess we just have to hope that the school district we work in is more supportive.
Remember that these are people that you are working with and that you will handle each case on an individual level and you will be in conversations with other teachers and administrators and parents about this student. Remember to question what you understand your role in this student's learning is - to support, teach a lesson to, to get more assistance for, etc - it will differ per learner.
Many students are moved to the next grade because teachers are aware that the learning can happen at different times - and that the learning may not have to happen in grade 4. Also, a main goal of early education is socialization, so keeping students behind in grade 3 can be more detrimental than having them add on an extra course next year in grade 11. Also - don't forget to consider the learning challenges that many students can not overcome and need alternatives (like a scribe, or an oral reading of material) to show that they have learned something - and they have learned it, but can't prove it if you only ask them to do it in written form...more on that tomorrow!
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