Abstract
The US education system values the idea of promoting children to the next grade level based on their performance and abilities shown in the current class. It is, therefore, necessary for the learner to be able to meet the basic standards to guarantee them the opportunity to excel in the following class. There are several factors that determine whether the student should be promoted or retained to improve their academic performance. The national perspective values the social and emotional development of children, therefore, advocating for the promotion irrespective of individual academic abilities. Both local and state viewpoints evolve about the capabilities of the learner to read and meet the standard requirements. Based on the above perception, children should not be allowed to join the next class if they do not meet the required standards.
Introduction
In the US, there are a number of factors that determine whether a child should be promoted to the next grade level or be retained in the same class for another academic year. Sometimes children encounter several challenges that hinder their abilities to remain active and focused in academics. For instance, consistent movement from one state to another significantly derails the capabilities of young ones making them unable to perform effectively in their current grades. The national, state and local governments have different perspectives on the issue of learners’ promotion, especially when they are not able to read effectively. Taking students to the next class without required qualifications makes the children less focused and demotivated, leading to poor performance.
National Perspective
The issue of promoting children has led to several controversies among the involved parties. Some parents view the approach as a better way of enhancing the progressive development of the learners. Based on the national perspective, children should be promoted to the next grade even I they are not well conversant with the current grade. The American education system formulated the social promotion technique that is more concerned about the emotions and social development of the learners (Darling-Hammond et al., 2020). In relation to this viewpoint, learners should be promoted even if they are not good readers. In other words, separating students from their peers might significantly affect their personal development. Another perception that made the national government advocate for academic acceleration is to create more room and space in the schools to accommodate other children. When students are retained, they occupy spaces that new learners are supposed to utilize, making the classrooms congested and unfit for learning activities. Therefore, it is seemed right for educators to promote children irrespective of their abilities, such as reading and writing, accordingly.
State Perspective
In the US, the state governments are more concerned about the education system than the national administration. Each state has formulated policies that guide the system of retention and promotion of children in the schools. The procedures provide clear guidelines that allow parents, educators and learners to understand the minimum requirements for the students to be promoted to the next class. The criteria were constructed to enable the school administrations to resolve matters concerning academic acceleration. For instance, when a child cannot read and write the basic vocabulary at the current grade level, teachers advise the parents and the respective learner against proceeding to the next stage of learning. The approach is aimed at ensuring the students have the required abilities to excel in their academic endeavors (Young et al., 2019). Therefore, based on the perspective of the states, children should not be promoted to the next class, supposing they cannot meet the basic requirements of the present level. Promoting them will make them bored because their capabilities to understand the concepts in that given stage might be low.
Local Perspective
Generally, when children are not able to read fluently at the current grade level, the school administration should allow them to repeat the same process to enable them to develop strong abilities. Based on the local perspective, when learners fail the intelligence tests, educators are expected to retain them in the respective class for another academic year. However, before making such a significant decision, the teachers should contact the parent to inquire about the possible cause of the child’s underperformance (Serna & Martinez, 2019). If the results are not influenced by external factors, it is appropriate to promote such students to the next grade. Retaining learners may have a negative impact on their development, supposing their abilities exceed the present class. On the other hand, allowing children to enrol on the following grade has the potential of risking their academic performance, thus making them struggle throughout their studies. The act will automatically render the students inactive, which could lead to school dropout.
Conclusion
In summary, it is essential for schools, educators, parents, and children to be involved in making decisions about the promotion of learners to the next grade level. The American education system supports the social promotion perspective leading to possible advancement to following class irrespective of the student’s abilities. However, state and local views on the issue of children’s promotion are determined by the set policies, such as taking intelligence tests. When learners are promoted to the next class, if they are not qualified, the likelihood of performing poorly is high, which can make them leave schooling.
Reference List
Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2020). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development.Applied developmental science, 24(2), 97-140. Web.
Serna, C., & Martinez, I. (2019). Parental involvement as a protective factor in school adjustment among retained and promoted secondary students.Sustainability, 11(24), 7080. Web.
Young, S., Trujillo, N. P., Bruce, M. A., Pollard, T., Jones, J., & Range, B. (2019). Preservice teachers’ views about grade retention as an intervention for struggling students.Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 63(2), 113-120. Web.