In an announcement today at PS 171 in East Harlem, the mayor proposed ending "social promotion" for all students. His new promotion policy would require all students in grades 3-8 to score at least a "Level 2" on state reading and math exams to move onto the next grade. (Exams are scored on a 1-4 scale where 4 is the highest.)
Five years ago, Mayor Bloomberg "rammed through" a controversial 3rd-grade promotion policy by summarily dismissing members of the Panel on Educational Policy (PEP) who opposed his plan. After the policy went into effect in 2004, it was later adopted for 5th, 7th, and 8th-graders, as well. Now, Bloomberg wants to extend the policy to include the 4th and 6th grades, so that it applies to all grades in which students take state-mandated standardized exams.
Students who score a Level 1 ("far below standard") on the state exams may attend summer school and retake the exams in August; if they pass, they are promoted to the next grade. According to the Department of Education, this policy has "helped dramatically lower the number of students being retained." Students may also be promoted if a portfolio of their schoolwork "demonstrates they have the skills to advance."
Promotion for students in 4th and 6th grades is now determined by several factors: passing state exams, the student's report card, and attendance. The policy will not go into effect until the PEP approves it. The members of the panel serve at the mayor's will, so there is little doubt that this latest plan will also be endorsed. However, public input is invited; check our calendar. We'll post the dates of upcoming PEP meetings.
UPDATE 8/11: GothamSchools reports that the PEP's vote will likely take place before the results of a research study on the effects of holding back students become public. The five-year study, surveying promotion and retention policies, was commissioned from the RAND Corporation in 2004.
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