In this space back in May I brought up the topic of whether or not students should be allowed to fail, a topic with passionate defenders on all sides. Now comes news of a Nanaimo mom, upset with the public district’s no-fail policy and plan to hold her son back a year, choosing private school for her son’s education.
According to the canada.com article, citing Kip Wood, president of the Nanaimo District Teachers’ Assocation, two factors come into play in this case: “the no-fail policy and the chronic under-funding of the education system that has led to fewer teachers and resources and larger classes, allowing some students to fall through the cracks.”
Thus, in the case of Brandon, the student now in private school, he is succeeding in Grade 5 with a lot more one-on-one instruction. Which, no-fail policy aside, is often why parents choose private school for their children.
Of course the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district feels they can meet all students’ needs, but readily admits they have limited funding. It’s just not possible to have as much one-on-one time as a small private school will offer. I’m sure there are also limitations on the public school’s ability – due to resources, not capability or interest – to dig down to the root of an individual student’s challenges.
In Brandon’s case, he was set up with an individual education plan, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from slipping. Then things snowballed, as he fell further behind he got more anxious and frustrated, which made it that much harder to try to catch up. His problems were largely attributed to behaviour, an incomplete picture for somebody who more than likely just needed more attention.
Which brings us back to the no-fail policy. If left in the public system Brandon wouldn’t have simply repeated Grade 4, perhaps the very thing he needed. Brandon admits “I don’t think I was ready for Grade 5 and I really think I should be repeating Grade 4.”
But that wasn’t an option; he would have moved on, but weaker areas for Brandon would have been identified and addressed throughout the next year.
All of this makes me wonder what the effectiveness of a no-fail policy is. I wrote back in May that these sorts of policies should help ensure that students learn the material and not simply pass it by, but in practice, is that really what happens?
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