In one sense, failure is not an option at our school because we don’t give report cards. Teachers are not required to give grades. We have regular reading appraisal tests. We do EL Civics testing quarterly, which has a written and oral component. However, we do not give our students grades.
On the other hand, if a failing student experience is a student who stay at one level and never progress, the answer is yes. For the students who are not progressing, they’re welcome to stay in our program as long as they’d like. Sometimes trained volunteer tutors give additional classroom support. But, beyond that, we have no other structures in place to prevent this type of failure. There are several conditions that make it ”too late to learn” and reach competency at my school: 1. We are open entry. Students can come in, leave, and return without penalty. 2. Our school doesn’t give grades. So, students may not be motivated to reach competency 3. We have too many multi-level classes. It’s not so clear to the student when he/she has completed a level because they stay in the same classroom. If I were the school leader, I would reduce the number of multi-level classes. Although it may be inconvenient for some to get to the appropriate class, this would be far more beneficial for students. I would institute managed enrollment to encourage consistent attendance. I would have all teachers create learning contracts with their students. In my present position, I can make some changes in my own classroom. I can share these ideas with my peers and my principal. As a TOSA, I have a considerable sphere of influence. The five things I’m willing to do this semester that will make my school increase learning opportunities are:
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Sheila L. DavisPassionate Adult ESL Instructor at Grossmont Adult School. Seeking to learn new habits and unlearn bad ones. ArchivesCategories |