Can you still insist that your child be passed to the next grade level if the teacher/principal wants to hold?

Question

them back? I remember when my older kids were younger you could do this. Just curious. Thanks for any answers!

Answer 1

The school wanted to leave my grandson back too.  I went to a meeting, insisted they NOT leave the child back, and asked them to give my grandchild one on one help.  My grandson is going into 6th grade now, and the one on one he received (instead of getting left back) really helped.

Answer 2

you can probably insist . or you can take your child to summer school . your child will probably make it to the next grade . i hope this helps :]

Answer 3

prior to highschool, it is your chioce weather your kid gets held back or not. But in highschool ,the princaple can decide it your kid needs to repeat the grade or not...

Happy i could help!

Answer 4

would you want your child to struggle next year in class.Obviously the teachers believe your child is not ready to take on harder tasks

Answer 5

I am a second grade teacher.  And I know there are many theories of belief in this matter.

I feel that K-2 are such vital years, that if a child needs to be held back, this is the time.  If they are struggling now, it only gets harder.

Since your child was home schooled, if he/she is put in the lower grade like the principal and teacher wants them to be, the other children would not know that your child should have been in the upper grade.  Therefore, there will be little to no stigma attached to your child from the other kids.

I would suggest you ask the principal/teacher to try something like this - put your child in the lower grade for the first marking report or so.  While your child is in that class, you coordinate with the upper level teacher on the curriculium being taught in that class.  After the trial period is over, if your child is easily succeeding, then move them up to the higher grade.  If this happens, your child will not have missed much of the upper grade things because you have been supporting them at home.

It is far less harmful to have your child move up a grade then down a grade. If your child is moved up - the other kids will be in awe instead of being in a position to make fun.

Remember, you are the expert when it comes to your child and they are the experts when it comes to education.

Feel free to email me if you want to.

Answer 6

I don't know why you would want to because apparently your child is struggling some way in school. However, I would force the school to have your child tested for a learning disability, hearing imparement & other disabilities before the final decision is made. If your child has any of these disabilities, your child should be moved on to the next grade with specific guidlines in tact so that your child will properly be taught at his or her own level. Disabilities are usually discovered in a child from Kindergarten through 7th grade. This doesn't mean your child will be lost forever in hopelessness of never being taught & staying up with the rest of the students. Yes, you CAN force the school to do these tests before the decision is made.

My daughters learning disability was discovered when she was in first grade. Proper learning & a IEP helped her move out of learning disability classes from 7th grade - 12th. She kept her head & grades up from the point where she graduated with a 3.55 GPA & she kept her GPA since 7th grade. She is now in college & on the merit role.

My sons hearing disability was caught when he was in 4th grade, although he still struggles in school, he is about to graduate next spring. The school made proper arrangements for him to be able to hear better in the classroom. However, as he gets older, his hearing has been & will get worse.

Answer 7

Yes...I belive you still can....  b/c parents know the best for their kids...

Answer 8

I sure would hope that parents don't do this - because it can really affect the child negatively, and can just lead to frustration well beyond any academic difficulties. If a child needs to be held back, better it be done in the early elementary grades.

Best to trust the professionals, and their assessment.

Answer 9

Ask the principal to show you a copy of their written policy that states it is up to the school to retain/progress to next grade.

If there is no policy, it can't be done.

The PARENTS have the SAY in this, NOT the SCHOOL !!

Answer 10

Why would you do that?  If your child is not doing well in that grade then moving him or her ahead before he or she are ready will not be good?  Your child will just be further behind.  Maybe you should try getting your child some tutoring.

Answer 11

You can make an appeal but the principal has the final say. However, why the h**l would anyone WANT to put their kid in the next grade if they couldn't make it through their current grade?

Answer 12

No, the school is responsible for your child's academics.  I've never heard of a school allowing a parent to overide the decision to hold a child back...must not have been very good schools.  It is the teacher/principal/counselor 's jobs to monitor and determine whether your child has progressed acedemically, if they feel your child should be held back the you would be doing the child a major dis service by insisting that the child be allowed to pass.  What is going to happen when your children are in college and fail their classes?

Answer 13

You might want to have a meeting with them and discuss options.  Perhaps summer school, or a tutor can help him from being held back.

However, a teacher or principal might have the final say and they should.  They are quite qualified to make that decision.  A parent's decision or opinion might be biased.

Answer 14

http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2001/2...

This gives some good thoughts against retaining a child in a grade level.

Answer 15

It is all up to Ur district and what  laws and regulation they are going by.. .

Yes.. yes years ago u could..

but out with the old  and in with the new.... laws and rules..

check at Ur Administration office.. and see???

good luck

Answer 16

I don't know if it's different depending on what state you live in but in my kid's school they can't make a child repeat a grade unless the parents Say they can. The bigger question is why do they want to hold the child back and are they right? Should they be held back?

Answer 17

That depends.    If a parent knows (from report cards, tests, etc.) that their child is struggling then the parent should make a request to have the child evaluated with a multidisciplinary team to see if there are learning disabilities or any other type of disabilities.   The parent shouldn't have waited until the Spring to ask for an evaluation though.   I'm sure there was plenty of evidence during the school that the child was struggling.    

Nonetheless if the evaluation reveals that there's  disabilities then it would not make much sense to hold the child back.   The child should receive services and have needed modifications and/or accommodations depending on the results of the evaluation.    

If you hold a child back with LD you're just giving a temporary fix to an ongoing problem.   You'll see  the child struggle again in a few years.   So what do you then?   Hold him back each time?   The chances of him dropping out of school would be about 99% (no exaggeration).    

My own son struggled in elementary school but he's thriving in high school with a 3.2 GPA and all college preparatory classes.    He'll be going away to college in 2 more years.  He doesn't have the services that he had when he was younger but he doesn't need them.   He made too much progress.  Early intervention can take a child a very, very long way.    Always request an evaluation first before deciding to hold a child back.    I don't think that a parent can decide alone to have a child promoted but she needs to take advantage of services that  her child may be eligible for....and don't wait until the end of the school year to do that!!!

ETA:  Stormy S,

BTW, some kids with learning disabilities or other disabilities can and do succeed in college.   It really depends on the extent of their disability and what accomodations they need to succeed.    College do offer some accomodations for students who need it.  Yes, there will be some who can't make it in college (or even get accepted into college for that matter) and then there are others who do succeed and beyond.   Some even move on to law school or graduate school.    Kids with disabilities are all different.    Early remediation in their younger years is paramount.    If a child with LD is repeating grades without any remediation then it will be a recipe for disaster.     By the time they're teenagers they can end up being years behind in school, functionally illiterate  and just end up dropping out.   Thankfully, federal law requires public school districts in the United States to provide services to kids who qualify.   However,  it's up to the parent to request an evaluation.   If the child does qualify for an IEP (Individual Education Plan) then the school district is required by law to provide services.    Failure to do so can end up in a lawsuit for the school district.

Answer 18

you can still make an appeal. but the principal will have the final say.