At West Hernando Middle, classes like physical education, drafting or computers are routinely suspended for hapless young scholars who cannot seem to catch up in core subjects like math and reading. Instead of stretching their legs in the gym, the kids are poring over fractions. In this vein, the School Board gives the county's high schools one teacher who does nothing but work with students who have gotten behind. Central and Springstead have gone a step further, shifting their staffs so they could have two remediation teachers. Remediation is nothing new.
Educators say it's been going on as long as there have been students and schools.
Adults remember it happening when a teacher pulled them aside a few minutes each day to help them work through a challenging subject. They might recall it happening when their entire class bombed a section of an exam only to have the teacher reteach the lesson. But, at least in Florida, remediation has become serious business. For one thing, a state law enacted a few years ago requires school districts to offer remedial help to students who score low on achievement tests. Educators in Hernando County say children are still the focus.