Every year, there's one or two kids that are just not ready to move on to the next grade. I dread having these conversations with parents. I know what a challenging decision it is for them - it's hard to say "my kid is behind." Parents worry about the social aspect of being older than their classmates. Some parents might be afraid that this is the first step in having a child enter special education.
Retention is not an indictment of parenting skills. Some kids learn at different rates. Especially in lower grades, I just see kids who are not ready to read at the same time as their peers. Maybe they need an extra year to mature and develop. I really believe in retention in lower grades. Socially and academically, it's so much easier to held back at 6 or 7 than it is at 10 or 11. In kindergarten and first grade, you get a chance to master the foundational skills that will carry you through the rest of your academic career. The older you get, the harder it is to teach those skills in a general classroom setting.
I have a student this year who desperately needs to be retained. The student's parents agreed to retain them after kindergarten, then changed their minds just before the school year started. We've all worked so hard with the student this year, but they are just still not ready to move on. I love this kid and would love to teach them again next year - but I still feel like I've failed them and their parents. It was my job to get them caught up, and I didn't.
How do you feel about retention? I've heard DCPS sees 3rd grade as the year to start holding kids back. I think this is way too late.
Hilary, this is such an important topic and conversation that needs to be had with administration, parents, and teachers. First, don't blame yourself. I know you did the best you can. I 100% agree with you that it is much easier to retain students at a younger age than it is when they become older. I have some kindergarteners now that should definitely be retained because they are so behind due to absences or just processing the skills and concepts differently than his/her classmates. I think an extra year in kindergarten would give them the confidence, academic and social development they need. This is because some kids who enter kindergarten "are not there yet". They are not developmentally or socially quite ready. There is nothing wrong with this, but they just need an extra year so they are better prepared and have a strong foundation. On the other hand, there is one girl who was retained from kindergarten last year and I have her again. Because this is her second year in kindergarten, she does push the envelope a little more and sometimes acts as the boss. Now socially, she has had more experience than the others so this is natural. I've also noticed too she enjoys helping me clean up and lead the class in teaching. She is a great teacher's helper and she enjoy's this job. So if a student is retained I would definitely try to give them more responsibility and make them one of the class leaders.
ReplyDeleteWhile I totally feel you on the feeling bad for the student, I think it's unfair to take the complete blame for a student needing retention. Students who aren't retained that truly need to be are often trying to master 2 grade levels in one year. While moving up reading levels in one year may be tangible I have learned that it's unrealistic. As someone teaching SEVERAL students who would be successful if they had been retained and a few more that skipped the 4th grade, I asure you it's not your fault. I wholeheartedly agree that retaining students in higher grades can be socially damaging but if we change the narrative around it maybe it wouldn't be.
ReplyDeleteHilary, what a great topic - although I'm sorry you have had to bring it up under such difficult circumstances! First, I just want to thank you for caring so much about your student. That's fantastic! I think he/she would be lucky to have you as a teacher again next year! I also think you are correct that retention is just such a difficult and emotional question for all involved. It's really gut-wrenching. As I understand it (although I could be wrong) the data on retention isn't great - it doesn't lead to students catching up like one would hope. Although like you said, way better to do it when they are younger. I think if anyone is going to retain (or move on) a student who is that far behind, there needs to be a plan in place that everyone agrees to so that we know it won't be 'more of the same' next year. There is no guarantee that holding a student back will help them learn, how can the retention be part of a comprehensive plan to catch a student up? That's at least how I see it - retention as part of an overall strategy as opposed to retention being the silver bullet the helps a struggling learner catch up. Again, thanks for your post and for your love for your student! Peace, Jeff
ReplyDelete