Given a choice, most students would obviously choose to be promoted, but in the end, even the kids realize they've been done a disservice. One Florida high school student recalled how she liked to cause trouble in middle school. She skipped school and slid by doing as little work as possible and when she reached high school, was reading on a third-grade level. But I'm going to pull myself up. Summer school for low performers appears to be the most popular, immediate solution.
Most districts already have some form of summer school program in place.
Traditionally, however, those programs have been voluntary and some even required participants to pay some form of tuition. The kids at summer school wouldn't tease you because that's why they'd be there, too. And nobody else would know. Safety nets South Colonie District Superintendent Thomas Brown said that in his district a student who fails three or more classes, must repeat the grade. Retention is rarely utilized in South Colonie according to Brown, who said out of 400 fifth-graders, only 10 were retained last year.