I am working with a 2nd grade student who has auditory processing difficulties. The other special education teacher feels he should be retained do to the little growth made. I always thought we didn’t retain special education students. Help!
Retention
“because we don’t retain special education students” is a little too global :=) If you’ve got to think one way or the other (“if he’s slow, retain him” being the other) I guess it’s better, though! - I know my godchild really benefited from being retained in fifth grade, when she had missed several weeks of school because of a broken femur, and really was not as mature as her classmates (oh, and LOVED her teacher)… the next year she *blossomed* into a leader. (She graduates this weekend :-))
“Due to little growth made” is also not a valid reason in and of itself. Why was there so little growth? Will retention lead to further growth? If he has auditory processing difficulties and they’re not remediating them or working aroudn them, then going through the same schtick for another year won’t really help much.
What does this child need?
[Modified by: Sue (Sue) on May 09, 2006 02:22 PM]
Welcome, Kelly!
I would say that every case is individual. I think it is fairly well recognized that repeating a grade with no new intervention is rather pointless. But for another example, I am now privately tutoring a little boy who is dyslexic, and he is repeating the first grade. Is this beneficial for him? You bet!!! When he starts second grade in the fall, he will be basically on grade level in reading, although he will still continue to need support. If he had gone on to second grade this year, he’d still be a full year behind his peers and probably suffering self-esteem problems. Would it have been wise to simply retain him and hope he caught up just by repeating? No way! He needed intensive, one-on-one reading therapy for the extra year to benefit him.
So I’d never, ever say there is a blanket rule about retention. However, no one should even think about doing it unless there is a very specific plan on how the child can be remediated during the year he is repeating.