‘Flunking’ in Kindergarten

I would like to respond to the article (Feb. 11) regarding the failure of more than 32,000 children to pass kindergarten in Los Angeles in a two-year period and to board member Rita Walters who was appalled by this.

My dear Ms. Walters, your obvious lack of expertise in the educational process is showing. Educators have been aware forever that:

1--Children arrive at school with varying amounts of background experiences to bring to the learning process.

2--Not all children mature at the at the same rate, just as they do not learn to walk, talk, etc. at the same time. Their age can vary as much as one year in the same class depending on their birth date.

3--Learning to read requires small muscle control of the eyes to track words, visual discrimination to differentiate between very similar letters like “o” or “a,” ability to attend to instruction, i.e. listen and process, and memory.

All of the above affect the rate of learning. Some children need 50 or more repetitions of something they are attempting to learn.

The only way to give these children an opportunity to be successful all through their future school years and to establish a good self-concept early is to give them the extra time they need to mature at the beginning of their school experience. Retaining a child is not something teachers do “to a child,” but rather it is “for the child.”

I contest the findings of the report that states that only one in five who fail first or second grade ever graduate from high school. What percentage of children who begin school graduate?

In my experience of teaching elementary grades and remedial reading for 20 years I have noted that approximately 50% of the children I have had who have repeated a grade do average or better work subsequently. It’s unfortunate that teachers have to do battle with parents, principals and school board members to give this 50% a chance for success. Teachers have to work harder and longer with each child who is retained; their only reward is the child’s chance for success and that makes it all worthwhile.

MARILYN J. BAZLEY

San Diego

Children are not “flunked” in the primary grades. That term is not used by many teachers. They are “retained.” The purpose of kindergarten is to prepare or to improve the readiness of the pupil for the first grade and to determine if he is ready to be advanced.

After a year’s experience with the child the teacher must make the agonizing decision of informing the parents that she doesn’t feel that their child is ready. Educators know that children mature at different rates. It is better to hold a child back at this age than to have him struggle in later grades where more than likely he will fail. Here he will have the stigma of having failed and may drop out of school in later years.

All school work depends upon the ability to read. If the teacher feels that the child is not ready for the first grade and that another year of maturity would help, it is her duty to tell the parents and let them make the decision. Most schools have more than one kindergarten class and in the following year the pupil could have a different teacher and maybe a different time of day to attend.

Several years ago some schools had what was called a “junior first grade.” This was for students who had completed kindergarten but the teacher felt that another year of maturity would be advisable. This gave the pupil another year of development and preparation before he enters the regular first grade. However, this extra year was eliminated because of expense to the school district in the wake of Proposition 13.

Is it not far wiser to retain a child a year in the primary grades where he and his parents can feel that he needs another year of maturity rather than feel the stigma of failing in one of the upper grades?

Most educators feel that letter or percentage grades to show quality of students’ work do not belong in the primary grades. A note describing the pupil’s progress or difficulties is of much more value, but best of all are parent-teacher conferences.

WM. W. TAYLOR

Laguna Hills

I find the current public outcry concerning kindergarten flunkees and primary grade retentions paradoxical and without foundation in educational principles. Learning is built upon skills that must be developed sequentially. Students who are “socially” passed are at a very real disadvantage due to gaps in their learning skills and abilities. It is in the students’ best interest to remediate when the learning problem occurs and not years later. I can vouch for this as both a high school and community college remedial teacher.

What the general public fails to understand is that students enter school with varying degrees of ability and maturation. But by the time they are in high school all are expected, by the public and by some educators, to have reached certain levels of achievement. How can students reach these levels without the necessary skills being developed in the so important early years of education?

This is the paradox! Quality education and high standards will be met and achieved only with strict adherence to skill mastery. In this way the needs of the students are met; to do less is to cheat both the student and society.

JEANETTE C. WEISSBUCH

Pomona

When a child fails to meet the requirements for a passing grade in kindergarten or the first grade the child’s parents have earned an F. Surely parents who care about their child’s welfare should be aware long before the end of the semester that their child needs help at home.

EDWARD V. ASHBURN

Granada Hills