Social-Promotion Ban Advances In Georgia

By Linda Jacobson

Georgia children who enter 3rd grade in 2003 would have to pass a state reading test to be promoted to the next grade, and 5th and 8th graders would face similar requirements in later years, under a bill passed by the state Senate last week.

The legislation—the centerpiece of Gov. Roy E. Barnes' education agenda this year—would be the first step toward reaching his goal of wiping out social promotion in the state in five years. The policy change passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, and as of late last week, a conference committee of legislators from both chambers was attempting to put finishing touches on a final version of the measure.

Starting in 2004, 5th graders would have to pass both the reading and mathematics portions of Georgia's Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, or CRCT, to advance to the next grade, as would 8th graders beginning in...