Failing the school year. Not an option for TCS students.

Every year, consistently it’s the same routine: you don’t do anything the whole year and you end up passing the school year by a breeze. Phew! It’s finally summer break and you conquered the school year by not studying. The new year comes by and you intend to follow the routine you’ve been following your whole life in order to pass and not study, but in January your plan is called off and your guardians get called in for a meeting; you’re busted! When students are failing more than three classes for the year, a PAC meeting is called. PAC is a committee that incorporates guardians, educators, and administrators. There it is decided who is at risk of failing the year. After, the students who are selected specifically will have a meeting with the learning center, administrators, teachers, and guardians. In this meeting; expectations, behavior, and chances of earning a sufficient enough grade that the final grade is a passing one is discussed. Reunions like these are an eye-opening opportunity and it’s encouraging and empowering for students since it gives them the additional push that is vital for students to excel academically or get a passing evaluation grade.

“One of my friends was as of late called for this meeting, she knew she was failing, however, it opened her eyes. Her change was obvious and almost instantaneous; I believe if it weren’t for this meeting she would still be failing the year,” said Antonia Velasquez, Junior TCS student. This meeting is an incentive for students who are being ineffective in school and have the opportunity to improve and achieve a passing grade, it’s essentially, a second chance to open their eyes to this circumstance. Failing the year could potentially cost them an entire academically “wasted” year and their guardians some big amount of money. Some students don’t attempt to pass even after being called and decide to fail, however, these cases are generally uncommon, since the great majority open their eyes and attempt their best keeping in mind the end goal that is to succeed.

“Get the parents involved early. Whether or not you think the parents will actually make a difference, go ahead and involve them early. The responsibility for teaching kids is ultimately the parents’, not ours, so they need to be informed about what’s going on,¨ as stated by teaching for the heart organization. The main method for helping students that are failing is to contact the guardians in the early stages. In the school’s case, TCS’ way is to notify the guardians halfway through the year. Taking this action can be beneficial in light of the fact that their guardians could be more present when students are executing their schoolwork and be a source of “pressure” in order for students to perform at their best.

“Statistics suggest that 10 to 20 percent of students will be retained over the course of their school career,” according to figures from the National Center for Education Statistics. By not giving students neither the support needed nor the encouragement they can quit attempting to pull through the year quickly and fall flat. Regardless of the explanation behind a student’s inability to thrive academically, repeating the same curriculum and encountering the same teaching approach is unlikely to be more effective the second time around. On the off chance that the guardians are informed and the students are offered assistance by the school we can prevent this and give them an additional push that is fundamental for students to excel academically or get a passing grade.