Repeating any grade for your child can be difficult because it allows your child to add an additional year to his or her academic year. But, in most situations, it just depends on your child’s skill and capability, as it is not easy for any parent to have their child repeat a class.
It’s best to figure out the fundamentals and essentials before deciding whether or not your child needs to repeat a grade.
And for this purpose I will be sharing 5 basic tips you should check down below.
Assess the child’s level of growth and success.
When determining whether to encourage or keep a child in school, the most important aspects to consider are the child’s academic achievement and maturity level. Many school districts have created assessments to assess these variables, but as a parent, you should think about your child’s ability as well.
Here are a few items to remember or worry about.
- If the kid has major difficulties with math, reading, or writing, he or she will have much more difficulty in the next year’s classes.
- The child must also meet the school district’s generalized performance standards, which were developed and implemented. Test scores and class attendance are examples of these standards.
- Think about how many days your child has missed at school. If your child has missed a large number of class sessions, his or her teacher will recommend that your child repeat the year so that he or she does not fall behind in the next grade.
Take into consideration your child’s age.
Many children who have to repeat a grade are humiliated by the fact that they are older than their peers. Repeating a grade, on the other hand, might not be as difficult if your child is young for his or her grade. After being kept back a year, a child who is younger than his or her peers and struggles in school may actually perform better.
So, talk to your child’s teacher about whether repeating a grade will be beneficial or detrimental to your child’s education.
Understand the pro and con of retention.
The biggest benefit of retention is that the child will have an additional year to focus on his or her reading, writing, and math skills. If the child was promoted to the next grade level, he or she would struggle and eventually fail. Since each year’s course material builds on the foundations laid the year before, a child will fall further behind and be more disappointed or humiliated by his or her success.
Below are few pro and con you should keep in mind.
- it’s vital to remember, though, that any academic gains achieved by a retained student usually disappear after three years, so you may want to think about the drawbacks before making a final decision.
- The only way repeating succeeds is when students are given one-on-one attention to help them overcome the issues that contributed to bad grades. This necessitates increased effort on the part of both the teacher and the parents.
- Repeating for a year may have a significant negative impact on a young student. Students who are kept back a year have lower academic performance, are more prone to behavioral issues, have poorer socio-emotional adjustment, and are more likely to drop out early than their peers.
- Discuss any questions you have with your child’s coach whether he or she suggests repeating a year. There may be other retention alternatives that the teacher is able to incorporate.
If the teacher insists on repeating your kid, make sure your child gets specialized remedial help to catch up on the concepts he or she is having trouble with. You would also want to consider the possibility of any behavioral issues developing.
Alternatives to retention should be considered.
If your kid is really struggling and his or her teacher suggests repeating a year, you may be able to talk to the teacher about other choices. Providing extra assistance both in and out of the classroom may be able to help your child get back on track without having to repeat a grade.
Tips to do this:
- Your child can benefit from one-on-one or small-group coaching sessions to help bring new concepts that aren’t obvious from in-class instruction.
- Think about getting your child special education services. Simply make sure that his or her Individualized education plan goals and benchmarks align with the school’s requirements to ensure that your child is on the right track.
- Instead of having to repeat a grade, inquire about summer school enrollment, extended day classes, or extended year classes.
- Assist your child with his or her homework. If your child rejects your assistance, have a sibling or an older student/tutor work with him or her on difficult assignments.
- Use extra – curricular activities to help your kid have more social interactions with his or her peers. Interacting with their peers will help some children become more inspired to do well in school.
Make an effort to believe the teacher’s evaluation.
If you’re concerned that your child will have to retake a grade, you should speak up and have a polite conversation with the teacher. The instructor, on the other hand, has the final say. Remember that a professional instructor is better equipped than a parent to critically evaluate a child’s development and skill. You may not agree with the option, but you must respect the teacher’s decision and have faith in his or her abilities.
Criticizing the teacher will lead your kids to think that he or she won’t have to work as hard the next time. If you tell your child that the blame lies with the instructor, he or she can feel “off the hook” for his or her own obligations.
So the best choice is to make sure you look into the variables that will decide whether or not your child can repeat, and while you’re doing so, look into appropriate ways to communicate with your child. You don’t want your child to feel surprised or devastated with your decision, so is best to talk to them!