Reading between the lines: Florida’s retention program is not worth replicating
Paul Thomas, a Furman University associate professor of education, writes about range of education issues, including the push in South Carolina to follow Florida’s retention policy. This is his second appearance on the Get Schooled blog, but you can read more of his stuff at his “becoming radical” blog.
Thomas sent me this opinion column on the issue of retention. Retention is still one of education’s most hotly debate topics. State policy says Georgia students in grades 3, 5 and 8 should repeat the year when they fail certain standardized tests. But it seldom happens.
The AJC found that districts promote the vast majority of students even if they fail the retest or blow it off altogether.
Here is an excerpt of the 2008 AJC story:
Thomas sent me this opinion column on the issue of retention. Retention is still one of education’s most hotly debate topics. State policy says Georgia students in grades 3, 5 and 8 should repeat the year when they fail certain standardized tests. But it seldom happens.
The AJC found that districts promote the vast majority of students even if they fail the retest or blow it off altogether.
Here is an excerpt of the 2008 AJC story:
The AJC obtained state databases — with students’ names removed — that contained spring CRCT scores, summer retest scores and students’ grade level the following fall for 2006 and 2007.