What if they CAN'T get good grades?

[Kirasabu]

Just out of interest, what happens to a child in the US school system who simply isn't very bright, and incapable of getting good grades?

[DottyG]

I think you may need to give us a few more details to go on here!  Why are you asking?  What, specifically, do you mean by "what happens" to them?  That's kind of a broad question.

[Chartreuse]

Sorry, a bit of a smart alec remark... but isn't that what No Child Left Behind is for? 

Serious answer:  One of my best friends as a teenager was... well... simply put... not too bright.  She'd work her toosh off, but still pulled a C average at her very best.  She got into college, despite her lack of academic prowess, and lasted about a year before she flunked out.  Now, it wasn't that she wasn't trying, or going about it properly, she just didn't do well in academic situations, no matter now much effort was thrown at it. 

Since then, she was able to get into a slightly different educational program and now is a teacher's aide in an elementary school.  Her tenacity and personality do a lot more for her than what her lack of academic ability takes away.  She's happy, successful, and due to her own experiences is very compassionate to the kids who just aren't good in school.

[IndianInlaw]

Lots of kids who are quite bright can't get good grades either, try as they might.  They are learning disabled and need special intervention. 

Kids with developmental issues are either integrated into regular classes (with assistance) or are in smaller classes with children of equal ability.  They are graded on the quality of the work they do.  Two kids of equal ability can get different grades, depending on if they turn in their completed work or goof off.

I'm sure others can explain this better, but I took a shot at it.

[housewife2k]

Most schools in the US will have some sort of program in place to get the kid through until graduation. If it is a case of the kid not being very smart, but not having a learning disability, they will probably be moved into a slower-track program. Almost all school have them, they just go under different names. The program generally breaks down to an elementary aproach-every one has the same teacher for the same classes at the same time and works at a group pace sort of approach. It is virtually impossible to flunk out of school anymore. After highschool, however, all bets are off.

[Cyndi]

Oooh I know that feeling! I'm pretty book smart, but for some reason I just struggled with school assignments. I think mostly because I had to do essays about things I had little or no interest in and that CAN affect the quality of my work.

If you asked me to do a paper on the history of Godzilla and what he taught me about life, I'd probably churn out a really detailed paper. But write an essay about Great Expectations and what it taught me? You'd be lucky to get a page. I just can NOT write about something I don't identify with at all. Plus I'm usually a person of few words and very often I'd "fluff" my papers with drivel just to meet the minimal page limit. I also had a lot of help because I basically had to have my hand held so I'd know what to do next when writing these things and never really learned anything from it. Sometimes I feel like my parents did the work and I just followed what they said. It was the ONLY way I could get these assignments done.

I had a B to C average throughout school. My worst subject was always math and I could never grasp anything beyond adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. I always had to do math on graph paper so my numbers would line up properly.

Edited to add:
And then, when I tried college, I was told I HAD to take pre-algebra and ended up flunking out. The main problem was doing example equations didn't help me because I had to be basically walked through EVERY equation. None of it made any sense, but I tried so hard and it was like having to sing something in Polish that I'd never seen before while standing in front of a live audience. It. Just. Did. Not. Work.

[extranormal]

I've read some interesting arguments lately about the nature of US academics. Some people suggest that there's too much emphasis on formal education, especially college. There's a proposal that we de-emphasize the need for everybody to go to college; make it more difficult to get accepted, but at the same time, make it less of a stigma not to go. If we funneled the truly academically minded to university and also gave other options (such as vocational schools or on-the-job experience) more respect, people might not find themselves in over their heads so often.

I'm not sure how much of that I agree with, but I did find it really provocative. I do agree that good at school does not always equal smart and good at a job. Some of the dopiest people I know have advanced degrees.

[Linley]

I've read some interesting arguments lately about the nature of US academics. Some people suggest that there's too much emphasis on formal education, especially college. There's a proposal that we de-emphasize the need for everybody to go to college; make it more difficult to get accepted, but at the same time, make it less of a stigma not to go. If we funneled the truly academically minded to university and also gave other options (such as vocational schools or on-the-job experience) more respect, people might not find themselves in over their heads so often.

I'm not sure how much of that I agree with, but I did find it really provocative. I do agree that good at school does not always equal smart and good at a job. Some of the dopiest people I know have advanced degrees.

Well, that is a bit similar to the German system which has three educational tracks of varying lengths and empheses. Only those who go to Gymnasium (usually) go on to university, those who are in other tracks do more vocational or work-oriented training and experience. This system has been somewhat criticized recently as well, but I find the logic behind it makes a certain amount of sense.

[MadMadge43]

I've read some interesting arguments lately about the nature of US academics. Some people suggest that there's too much emphasis on formal education, especially college. There's a proposal that we reemphasize the need for everybody to go to college; make it more difficult to get accepted, but at the same time, make it less of a stigma not to go. If we funneled the truly academically minded to university and also gave other options (such as vocational schools or on-the-job experience) more respect, people might not find themselves in over their heads so often.

I'm not sure how much of that I agree with, but I did find it really provocative. I do agree that good at school does not always equal smart and good at a job. Some of the dopiest people I know have advanced degrees.

yeah, that's what we need less education. There are enough uneducated people in the world already and I don't think de-emphasizing education is a way to make that better.

[Sharnita]

I think part of the benefit of the American system is that it permits people who screw it up a bit as kids or people who are late bloomers to to the college thing later on.

I would not really like the German system but most of my students are not ready for the full university experience either. A system that required students with lower test scores to attend community college and then giving those students who are successful the opportunity to transfer to a big university might be something to look at.

[melodrama]

The term "Not very bright" is misleading.  Everyone has their own unique way of learning.  Howard Gardner identified 7 differnent areas of intelligence and every human being has their own personal pattern of intelligence, like a fingerprint.

Some people learn very well in the traditional US school system, which is to say that they learn well by reading and remembering facts and then being able to recall that information and properly write it out at test time.  Students who have difficulty with any of these steps may be labeled as poor learners, but in reality they simply may learn differently.  For expamle, some students have no trouble learning the information, but have difficulty writing it properly for a test.  They are then labeled as "Not very bright" when in reality, they are simply not vvery good at written tests.  They may be able to verbalize their answer just fine with an oral exam.  

The real answer to your question is that in the US many of these students slip through the cracks and are labeled "Stupid" and struggle through their schooling until they drop or flunk out.

Parents who are determined to do better for their children often find alternative schools (such as parochial, private or charter) that may have a different or more individualized approach to education.  Unfortunately, these alternatives tend to be expensive and can be difficult to find, depending on your region.

Putting my soapbox away now....but happy to whip it back out at any time!

[hobish]

Serious answer:  One of my best friends as a teenager was... well... simply put... not too bright.  She'd work her toosh off, but still pulled a C average at her very best.  She got into college, despite her lack of academic prowess, and lasted about a year before she flunked out.  Now, it wasn't that she wasn't trying, or going about it properly, she just didn't do well in academic situations, no matter now much effort was thrown at it.

I had a friend exactly like this in middle school (7th - 8th grade here). Not only did she constantly struggle to maintain C's, she was constantly grounded for not doing better even tough she spent several hours a day studying and was in the lowest tier of classes. In school they just let her be; i doubt any of the teachers were aware that she was having so many issues. I wish i could tell you what happended with her later in life; but she moved and we lost contact.

[merkay]

I've read some interesting arguments lately about the nature of US academics. Some people suggest that there's too much emphasis on formal education, especially college. There's a proposal that we reemphasize the need for everybody to go to college; make it more difficult to get accepted, but at the same time, make it less of a stigma not to go. If we funneled the truly academically minded to university and also gave other options (such as vocational schools or on-the-job experience) more respect, people might not find themselves in over their heads so often.

I'm not sure how much of that I agree with, but I did find it really provocative. I do agree that good at school does not always equal smart and good at a job. Some of the dopiest people I know have advanced degrees.

yeah, that's what we need less education. There are enough uneducated people in the world already and I don't think de-emphasizing education is a way to make that better.

Education doesn't have to be obtained in a university setting.  Vocational education is just as important as college.  My father only has a high school degree but I'd never call him un-educated.  He's just as smart, if not smarter, than the rest of the family, without our bachelor's, master's and law degrees. 

If everybody goes to college, who is going to build the cars(like my father), fix the cars, repair the plumbing, build houses, and all the rest of the things that are crucial to society but don't require a college education. 

[FoxPaws]

And then, when I tried college, I was told I HAD to take pre-algebra and ended up flunking out. The main problem was doing example equations didn't help me because I had to be basically walked through EVERY equation. None of it made any sense, but I tried so hard and it was like having to sing something in Polish that I'd never seen before while standing in front of a live audience. It. Just. Did. Not. Work.

I tried and flunked this class 3 or 4 times, at the same time I was making A's in English.

I always loved that scene in "Peggy Sue Got Married" where the girl (Kathleen Turner) who's gone back in time to high school, tells her math teacher she knows for a fact she's not going to use this stuff later in life, so she's not doing it.

I noticed the community college I was attending now offers a course called "Math for Liberal Arts Majors", but you still have to pass pre-Alegebra to get in.  

[Twik]

What happens? Haven't you ever heard of Soylent Green?

Seriously, if they don't do well at school, they find something else they're better at. My boss (owner of the company) likes to point out that he only had Grade 8 education, and I work for him.

He likes to point this out a lot.