The first day of school is always a sight to behold -- children with their perfectly coiffed hair, uniforms starched to perfection and spit-shined shoes. But do people ever stop to wonder how many of these children have moved on to the next grade level because they have earned the right and are not advancing through social promotion -- a practice that has always been a part of the school system and is still prevalent today, according to educators.
Social promotion is the practice of promoting students along from grade to grade with their peers, even if the students have not satisfied academic requirements or met performance standards at key grades. It is called social promotion because it is often carried out in the perceived interest of a student's social and psychological wellbeing. At the same time, it has been shown that the practice of having students repeat a grade often has negative educational consequences, hence the social promotion.
The issue of social promotion came to light after The Nassau Guardian viewed the report card of a nine-year-old, fourth grade student whose summer grade point average (GPA) was listed as 2.04 -- and had one A grade, two B grades, four C grades, 1 D grade and eight E grades, and wondered how the grades added up.
The Nassau Guardian polled a number of educators who were given the student's letter grades to calculate a GPA based on the Ministry of Education's grading system, which they said was standard across the board. Two of the educators calculated a GPA of 1.1875 (which they said was rounded up to 1.19); another two educators said their calculations were 1.19 -- a stark difference from the 2.04 on the report.
All of the educators canvassed expressed shock at the 2.04 GPA given, considering the letter grades, but spoke with The Nassau Guardian on condition of anonymity.
In the teacher's comments section, the teacher wrote that the student had struggled through the academic year largely in part to the child's lack of focus during lessons; the student, the teacher said, was too easily distracted. The teacher urged the parents to encourage the child to work harder in fifth grade, but there was no mention of possibly the child having to repeat.
The educators who spoke with The Nassau Guardian weren't surprised. They said social promotion has always been a part of the school system and is prevalent today. They said social promotion is seen as necessary due to an issue with space and being able to allow children to move on so that other students can move up, but it also creates a problem if the child is unable to gain the skills he or she needs to achieve higher level.
On the flip side, the educators said that keeping a child back can scar the student for life and, in some cases, the child that is held back ends up being the bully in class due to being older and bigger than peers.
A senior in the tourism sector (who preferred to remain anonymous) said she remembers having to repeat eighth grade at a top private school due to her grade point average being below that required to be promoted to ninth grade. She said her mother gave her the option of repeating the grade in the private school or entering the government school sector. The woman said she preferred to not repeat because she would have been embarrassed. She was enrolled in a government school, where she proceeded to achieve honor roll status every year until she graduated.
Most of the educators who spoke with The Nassau Guardian said a child with eight E grades on a report card needs special and immediate intervention.
"A red flag should have gone up for quite some time," said one educator. "The grades tell me that it's not a new problem, but an old problem, and I would probably want to provide that child with some form of intervention in the resource room, pull out programs, call in special services...whatever," said the educator.
Another educator said the "E" grades meant nothing.
"That child is performing at the lowest level possible, based on the grading systems out of 5 -- A, B, C, D and E."
The student, who was not taught at any of the schools of the educators that The Nassau Guardian spoke with, said there needed to be a secondary check of the grades and the GPA given.
"By looking at these grades and looking at the GPA, something is definitely wrong and so it would have been checked. I know most schools are computerized in using the reporting system, and so most times you will get an error, so you will have to go back and repost, and re-average to come up with the correct GPA," said one educator.
As to whether she thought the child was being socially promoted, the educator was noncommittal.
"Again, it all depends. We have students in our system who do not function like the mainstream students -- we have students who are autistic, so many of our teachers are not quite able to deal with them, and so we look for a resource person or other persons who can teach these students, based on their learning level."
The educator also said that the grades reflected could have been because the child was not being taught based on his or her learning style, and that the student was only getting the umbrella-type teaching.
According to the educator, the child's parents needed to be called in for a discussion with them over the ramifications surrounding the child's grades and learning; the parents should also be encouraged to work with the child at home. At school, she said, an intervention strategy needed to be plotted for the child -- even if it meant bringing the child in on a Saturday morning.
The educator would have asked for the child to be retested, to see where the student was academically, taking his or her level from there and moving on.
"There are adults who can't take exams and they hyperventilate in exams," said the educator. "I know our ministry was speaking about oral exams for kids who can't take a written exam, to give them an oral exam to help them along, but that has not materialized. We're still into the paper and pen."
As to whether the child should be promoted or repeated, the educator said if the child had been repeated previously he or she should not repeat again.
On the report card, the child's teacher commented satisfactorily on all traits except one -- the child was given a "U" grade which stands for unsatisfactory in work habits, which the educator said spoke volumes concerning the student's lack of focus.
"Their study habits are not there. Their classroom work habit is limited. It seems this child was very easily distracted," said the educator.
Another educator was astounded that the child had eight E grades in reading subjects -- comprehension and literature; language arts subjects -- written composition and grammar and usage; mathematics subjects -- concepts of numbers, computation and application and religious education.
Ministry of Education core subjects include mathematics, language arts, social science, religious studies and physical education.
The educator expressed curiosity over whether the child's teacher had made contact with the parents and told the parents that their child was at risk for failure.
"What parent would want to receive a report card with eight 'E' grades? A lot of variables would come into play," said another educator.
One thing the educator was absolutely certain of was that, based on the letter grades, the 2.04 GPA was totally incorrect.
"I don't care what system they are using -- a 2.04 as GPA is not correct. It just could not add up, not with eight E grades. I'm not sure what system the teacher is using as well -- maybe it erred. When you use some form of electronic system, it gives room for error," said the educator.
The educator was uncertain whether the child was being socially promoted.
"I'm not sure that the teacher wants to promote someone with those grades. I would want to see some form of intervention."
The unsatisfactory grade given to the student under traits also spoke volumes about the educator.
Not a fan of repeating students, the educator believes students should move along with their peers, but added services should be provided for the student to assist him or her in the upcoming grade. The educator said collaboration was needed between the parents and the teacher. The educator also called for the child to be tested.
"My first concern is always for the student, and we have to do right by them. A lot of students come with issues and they may have some challenges in terms of academics, but I believe all children are educable, as long as they can learn. I think we do our very best as educators to ensure that they receive some kind of formal education, and in doing so, if you find the child is still failing, then you need to go out of school and provide the child with the services that are available."
If the child had been in the school at which the Guardian Lifestyles source taught, according to the educator, the child would have been referred to a guidance counselor in the first instance, who would then have referred the child to special services, if it was necessary. Special services would have tried to find some form of intervention for the child in the school environment. In the event of such an intervention not working, the educator said the child would probably be placed in a self-contained program like Stapledon School or the incoming special needs program that will be opened in September at the Our Lady's Catholic Primary School site.
The educator also had advice for fellow colleagues to be very careful in working out students' grades. The educator said when something is put in black and white that it's very difficult to take back.
"Teachers have to be efficient, proficient and transparent in their grades. I would double-check all of my work to ensure that the GPA is correct before I hand it out to parents."
The Nassau Guardian reached out to Ministry of Education, Science and Technology officials who declined to comment.

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