Is there any way of finding out:
1) The race and income level (or whether they are low-income) of the children (a breakdown would be great)
2) How many, if any, are in Special Education and if none are...what are the guidelines on passing children in Special Education as it relates to the new guidelines.
I ask for my own knowledge and also on behalf of those who are doing advocacy for Students of Color in MMSD. It isn't asked as an indictment, but to see how the numbers play out and to learn from them.
To be honest, my daughter passed 3 years of middle school after doing NADA (nothing). She was simply passed, even when I asked for her to be held back, because I knew she was getting off easy. She has since told me that she regrets those 3 years and that thinking about it makes her depressed, she admitted however "Why should I have done it any differently, I passed didn't I?"
I have mixed feelings on holding kids back, but I know it was always a threat for me and while I wasn't the best student, I knew I needed to focus if I wanted to graduate. I worry that if if there are new standards and guidelines, is enough being done to support students in actually meeting and attaining the goals? Especially now with cuts in Special Education, with no mention of a plan to review the current Special Ed system.
I have a real concern about the current state of minority education, especially the relationship between Special Education and Minority Education - the two shouldn't be thought of in the same vein, but they are and that is a huge problem. My daughter, who is ED (versus LD) also said, "I knew they didn't want me there, they would see me in the hall and tell me to go to class, but it was just to get me out of the hall and out of their face, not because they actually wanted to see me succeed." This isn't necessarily how all her teachers felt, but it was her overall feeling about staff/administration in general and it is too bad.
If anyone could answer my questions, I would appreciate it.
Hedi
90 Madison fourth-graders and eighth-graders might flunk
11:20 PM 6/11/03
Doug Erickson Education reporter
Thirty-two Madison fourth-graders and 58 eighth-graders will be forced to repeat those grades this fall unless they successfully complete summer school, according to the school district.
The students are the first to be stung by a state law that eliminates automatic promotion at grades four and eight. If the students don't boost their skills this summer, they'll flunk.
It's a significant, high-stakes change - flunking has been rare in Madison. Only one fourth-grader and four eighth-graders were held back after the 2001-02 school year.
However, the number of students at risk is less than half what the district predicted. The 90 fourth- and eighth-graders represent 2.4 percent of students in those two grades.
"We're really pleased that the numbers are low because we don't want to retain any child," said Assistant Superintendent Rita Applebaum.
She attributes the lower number in part to efforts by school staff to intervene early in cases where students were falling behind. At some schools, this meant after-school homework clubs and personal attention from a guidance counselor, she said.
The law, which took effect for the 2002-03 school year, instructs school districts to consider state test scores, teacher recommendations and student academic performance in setting promotion policies. Each district sets its own criteria.
In Madison, eighth-graders must earn a 1.67 grade-point average in each of four core subjects - reading, math, science and social studies - or score at least basic or above on the state standardized tests in those subjects. Fourth-graders must earn at least a 2 on a 1 through 4 grading scale in each of the core subjects or score at least basic or above on state tests.
The six-week summer school session starts Monday. Participation is optional.
Madison's school year ended Friday. Many suburban districts are still in regular session and haven't determined the number of students in danger of flunking.
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