Give Failing Students Extra Help

At least 5,000 students in Orange County will be forced to repeat grades this year, the most ever. The reason is the new state law banning social promotion.

Pushing failing students from one grade to the next just because a new school year has begun does no one any good. Taken far enough, social promotion can result in a teenager graduating from high school unable to read, write, add or subtract.

But it is difficult on a child to be made to repeat a grade, a practice that is becoming more common in California. Those who do repeat also need special attention and encouragement so they do not give up on school and drop out at the first opportunity.

The number in Orange County would have been larger had not the two largest school districts, Garden Grove and Santa Ana, decided to phase the program in over 18 months, giving students more time to catch up.

School districts across Orange County gave students an extra chance to avoid repeating a grade, offering after-school and summer classes. In many cases, students were more focused on their schoolwork and took advantage of the extra class time.

Parents too were warned when their children were not doing well academically. They need to emphasize the importance of education and become involved in their children’s academic performance. That can be difficult when the parents themselves have little formal education, as is the case with some immigrants, or when their command of English is shaky. But a number of school districts make special efforts to reach parents who are new to this country and tell them what is expected and what help is available.

Anaheim Union High School District got an early start on ending social promotion and began holding back numerous students last year. More than 500 were required to repeat eighth grade. Most of those are now ready for high school. That does leave the district with the need to provide even more help for those unable to be ready for high school even after repeating a year. Those students are offered the chance for alternative school, with an emphasis on basic skills and counseling.

Students and their parents need to be reminded periodically what the goals are and when they are falling short. Class grades and tests, the standardized Stanford 9 exams and writing samples all play a part in deciding who is ready for promotion.

Many students who repeat classes do so because they cannot read well. That reflects the importance of learning to read early. Many education experts believe that students who do not have a basic grasp of reading by the third grade will suffer for the rest of their educational career.

As social promotion ends, the lives of many students and their parents will be disrupted. School officials must offer extra help, realizing that without a good education, the students will fare poorly later.