Colo_Crawdad

Feb 12 2006, 04:13 PM

On several (three) forums there has recently been some discussion of students entering high school without adequate skill levels. The concept of "No Child Left Behind" says that every teacher should take every child at whatever level of skill that student possesses. Couple that with the basic philosophy of most school teachers that they can solve most student's problems and "save" them from past teaching and learning errors, and the current high school teacher is faced with what is essentially an unachievable task. It is often mentioned that several students leave Middle of Junior High school with having passed any classes. At the same time most of us would prefer that our 12 year old granddaughters and/or daughters not be seated next to a 16 or 17 year old guy without any skills who has been held up. That pretty well explains passing the student on to the high schools. Now my rather modest proposal, which admittedly will have to be fleshed out in more detail. I would propose simply that in those school districts large enough to do so an "alternative middle school" be created at a separate site to house and educate those students who are required by law to attend school but who have yet to master the skills essential for a successful high school career. Those student would remain in middle school until the minimal necessary skills are mastered. That would include skills in reading, writing, math, and social studies.

What do other think about such a proposal?