\doc\web\98\07\retent.txt


Standards Based Education holds that social promotion is bad, and
grade retention is bad, and tracking is bad. Yet if you do not pass
the standards, you must repeat the grade, or use an "individualized
learning plan" that amounts to tracking.


Ironically, the Kent strategic plan says that retention and tracking
do not work.


http://www.kent.wednet.edu:80/district/strat_plan/SP_section5.html#section5_performance
Kent WA strategic plan
Research indicates that tracking and retention systems do not improve
student learning. 






------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From:           	sleeper@warwick.net
Date sent:      	Thu, 01 Oct 1998 09:24:32 -0700
Send reply to:  	sleeper@warwick.net
To:             	arthurhu@halcyon.com
Subject:        	Re: Kent has fallen to the high standards nazis!


Dear Arthur:


Here is a section that I pulled from your post:


> "Students who do not meet their grade-level standards will be placed 
> on an individualized learning program. These programs will be devised
> by their teachers, in cooperation with the student's parents, with 
> the goal to provide specific help where it is needed."


How this will 'translate into real school activities' is like this.


You will now have a '10th grader' taking classes with 7th, 8th, 9th, and
10th grade students.  They will continue to take the same class over and
over again UNTIL they pass.  My daughter has a '10th' grader in her 7th
grade Spanish Class because the kid did not pass spanish.  He does not
want to be there.  He disrupts class, does not do class or home work and
basically makes a pain of himself the whole time.  Since the teacher is
a female and is not allowed to physically touch the boy, he does not
listen to her, so, does not leave the room to go to the principal's
office.  Basically he runs the class.


This is an 'individualized' learning program'.  


The bad kids, the kids that flunk are now held down in the lower grade
level, that they did not pass, UNTIL they pass, and our children are now
forced to have to deal with them in their classes.  Talk about
'examples'!  Just what type of 'examples & messages' do these OLDER
children leave with the younger children?


Sincerely yours,
Sleeper






arthur hu wrote:
> 
> \clip\98\13\kentstan.txt
> http://archives.seattletimes.com/cgi-
> bin/texis/web/vortex/display?storyID=79074&query=science
> The Seattle Times Company Opinion/Editorials : Wednesday,
> September
> 30, 1998 The bar has been raised for Kent school students by
> Marcia
> Slater Special to The Times
> 
> Check out their scary home page:
> Commmitted to Performance Based Education (as was to outcome
> based education)
> http://www.kent.wednet.edu:80/
> 
> EDUCATION just changed.
> 

>                      This is no longer talk. Education reform is in
> the classroom.