Social Promotion

[hayfields@moscow.com]

My point is  that policies that are made to apply to every one unilaterally may 
be unfair or even violate laws already in existence.  The point made by another 
member of Vision 2020 was that all discussion about improving education in 
Moscow was moot until the districts sets a "policy". There is no easy answer to 
the question of social promotion.  I was posing(although in a very convoluted 
way) some questions of my own about social promotion.
1. Can a district set a policy about social promotion that would effectively 
deal with the issue without violating the disabilities act?
2.Does state testing in Idaho adequately deal with the needs of those who can 
not read or write at grade level but whose reasoning is not effected? Children 
with dyslexia would be an example of this. Promotion might be based on whether 
or not children pass the currently proposed tests. These skill tests have been 
mandated at the state level and the assumption has been made at the legislative
level that they would identify which students are not ready to move to the next 
grade. 
3. What about children who do not legally qualify as learning disabled? Many 
children who do poorly but do not exhibit classic dyslexia symptoms are not 
tested.
4. Does social promotion "cheapen" the achievement of other students?  
5. How would you feel if an anti-social promotion policy was enacted by this 
district?  
6. Is there any way to set a policy that would meet the needs of all students 
equally?

The bottom line as I see it is that no policy is necessary. The schools are 
fully aware of how children are doing and what their particular needs are. 
Promotion of students at the lower level(the high school already has a policy)
should be done on a case by case basis. IF the school and the parent believe 
that it is in the students BEST interest to move on then that is a choice they 
should be able to make. I certainly wouldn't want someone who doesn't know my 
kid and doesn't know the circumstances and doesn't care saying to me "sorry we 
have a policy"...



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