Boston Swaps Flunking for 'Transition' Grades

By Debra Viadero

Boston school leaders are creating three new "transition" grades to give a second chance to students who stand to flunk under the district's tough new promotion policy.

Rather than hold back failing 2nd, 5th, and 8th graders for another year, the district plans to channel them into transition programs that could last up to 15 months. During that time, students would attend summer school sessions, take at least four extra hours of classes a week during the school year, and possibly go to school on Saturdays. If they improved their test scores enough by the end of the program, they would be promoted to the next grade without having suffered the stigma of retention.

When the Boston district stepped up its student-promotion standards last year, it joined a growing number of school systems declaring war on the practice of social promotion, which sends pupils to the next grade even though they...