It is that time of year again when teachers are compiling their data and making decisions about which students will pass to the next grade level and which students will need to be retained. When it comes to making that decision for ELLs the topic sometimes gets confusing. Some schools have policies about what the students need to be able to accomplish before they move to the next grade level. Other schools have no policy at all. I can appreciate the necessity for students to have at least some base knowledge before they move on to the next grade level however aren't we sending a message to the ELL that studied hard all school year that they are not performing well enough to move to the next grade level regardless of the progress they made during the past school year? It seems like when this topic comes up even within TESOL circles the answers alway vary to:
How do you know when an ELL should be moved on to the next grade level or if the student should be retained in order to restudy the basics?
When to pass or fail and ELLs?
Moderators: Dimitris, maneki neko2, Lorikeet, Enrico Palazzo, superpeach, cecil2, Mr. Kalgukshi2