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7th Graders Who Failed Test in 3rd Grade Still Lag
Ohanian Comment: What these propoents of holding 3rd graders back don't mention is that kids who were retained in third grade are also still lagging in 7th--and are more likely to drop out.
Most of the third-graders who flunked city reading and math tests four years ago - but were promoted anyway - are still failing today, a new city Department of Education study shows.
The study looked at the 25,851 third-graders who in 1999 scored the lowest ranking on city reading or math tests and then compared those scores with their performance as seventh-graders.
The sad truth: 81% of those kids who made it to the seventh grade are still bottoming out - meaning they probably cannot write a complete sentence or may struggle with multiplication and division, according to a copy of the study obtained by the Daily News.
Mayor Bloomberg plans to point to the findings this week as he tries to sell the city on his controversial plan to hold back third-graders who can't master basic skills.
"I think it teaches us that we have to address this issue and address it now," said Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, Bloomberg's point man on education. "We can't have another generation of children who are not prepared to compete."
Under the tough policy, as many as 16,000 third-graders could end up having to repeat the grade next year.
The proposal has created a firestorm of complaints from parents who argue it is unfair to tie an 8-year-old's future to his or her performance on a single test. City officials contend children will get a second chance in summer school to advance to the fourth grade.
Critics said the study does little to boost Bloomberg's arguments.
"It shows how ineffective our schools are at teaching kids who have fallen behind," said Leonie Haimson of the parent group Class Size Matters. "It doesn't show that having them held back for another year will improve their chances."
Demetria Farmier, a parent at Public School 40 near Gramercy Park, said she understands the consequences of advancing children who aren't properly educated - but believes the solution lies elsewhere.
"You start from kindergarten, testing children at that level, and if they have problems, you give them what they need," Farmier said.
Walcott said he couldn't agree more - city schools must do a better job of offering extra help to those who need it, which the Education Department is planning to do. But he also insisted the city has to stop moving kids out of third grade if they don't have a grasp of the fundamentals.
"It is equally criminal, if not more so, to promote children who are not ready," Walcott said. "We must draw a line in the sand."
— Joe Williams & David Saltonstall
3rd graders lag after failing test
New York Daily News
2004-02-22
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/story/166843p-145949c.html
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