I have recommended retention four times in 15 years. In two cases the children started school too soon (like 4 1/2 in kindergarten). They were immature and young compared to classmates. They had younger-aged friends. They had attention difficulties that were likely to improve with maturity. Both of these students had good results for at least the next few years, although I would have preferred they were retained in a younger grade than fifth.
In the third case, the student was small and young, but also had missed more than 28 days of school every year of school (this was fifth grade). That added up to almost a year of school missed. He showed a great inclination once he was presented with material, but he had missed a lot. I hoped having a good next year where he was on top of the class might encourage him to be the proactive one in terms of school attendance and thus repair a continuing problem that was not going to be solved by the given parents. I felt sure if he did not get ahead and have a good experience for a year, all might very well be lost anyway--sadly enough. he was also changing schools so no one would realize he was retained. The final recommended retention was a girl that was very, very small. She too had started school very young. She was extremely timid and showed skills 1-2 years below grade level in language arts, though she was on target in math. Testing revealed no particular learning issues. The parents and she decided retention would not be good. I am not sure how she will handle junior high when it hits...my fingers are crossed for her. :)Bonita _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
