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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think the US system if repeating grades is weird?

131 replies

llamajohn · 24/07/2024 10:02

Like you could repeat 1, 2 and 3 and be what? 12/13 in the 5th grade (peers would be 8-9) - how is that helpful to anyone?

OP posts:
Commonsense22 · 25/07/2024 07:19

In France, it's not a matter of failing or passing the year. Essentially children are discussed and teachers recommend whether resitting the year would be beneficial or not.
If a pupil has just taken a little longer to acquire skills but is on the right path, it's often recommended. Where progress is unlikely or the repeat is not thought to be beneficial, alternative educational streams are often recommended from middle school onwards - into more vocational courses etc. I actually think it works really well and the attempt to keep everyone together in the UK is an ever-growing disaster, as it requires accommodations of all kinds for different pupils that are impractical due to their volume and require financial resources that don't exist.
It puts teachers under too much pressure as they have to cater to too wide a set of needs.

TotHappy · 25/07/2024 10:12

The difference seems to be that in the UK, you don't do school - school is just something that happens to you, for 11 years. You just have to get through it. So children can fail, over and over again, particularly if they fall behind early. It's disheartening. A more individualised approach would be nice.

Sunshineandpool · 25/07/2024 18:00

TotHappy · 25/07/2024 10:12

The difference seems to be that in the UK, you don't do school - school is just something that happens to you, for 11 years. You just have to get through it. So children can fail, over and over again, particularly if they fall behind early. It's disheartening. A more individualised approach would be nice.

I'm not saying it always happens but DC should be getting differentiated work and their different needs met. So it should be a very individualised approach.

Sunshineandpool · 25/07/2024 18:03

knitnerd90 · 25/07/2024 01:53

I will say that there's a tendency to abolish tracking in middle school particularly, which I have mixed feelings about, although there's still separate special education classes (as these have more modifications than just the syllabus; they'll be smaller or have both a regular and special education teacher, for example). Non-academic core courses are also not usually tracked.

As I said upthread the evidence favours intervention over repeating. If the child is attending school and putting in effort, but failing, the odds are high that there is another problem, and the Response to Intervention process is what's needed. The harder problem is when a child has poor grades because of bad attendance or simply not doing the work (with no underlying disabilities). This is a difficult problem to solve, especially if it involves family issues. This is a circumstance in which a child can be held back even in high school, and these kids are at high risk of dropping out.

Is the tracking the same as streaming? So if you are great at Maths but bad apat everything else you are still in the bottom set for Matqhs? I'm not keen on streaming for that reason.

I do think often a mixed class is more beneficial, though. My DD's school only sets for Maths but in all other classes they differentiate which seems to work well.

knitnerd90 · 25/07/2024 22:32

No, tracking is by class. So you can be in the top class for Maths, and a lower one for English. That's my dysgraphic one, for example. He was actually accelerated in maths as he's gifted, but gets extra assistance for English. His reading skills are excellent but he struggles with writing,

Tapandsink · 25/07/2024 22:53

People keep talking about the UK but I'm 34 and knew of at least 5 children in my average sized Scottish primary who were held back. I presume this doesn't happen anymore?

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