[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
[February 23, 1998]
[Pages 271-272]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 271]]


Memorandum on Helping Schools End Social Promotions
February 23, 1998

Memorandum for the Secretary of Education

Subject: Helping Schools End Social Promotions

    The linchpin of our efforts to strengthen public education has been 
to raise standards and expectations for all students. As a result of 
State and local efforts, and with the support of Goals 2000 and other 
Federal education programs, students in every State in the country are 
beginning to benefit from higher academic standards and a more 
challenging curriculum.
    If our efforts to promote higher standards are to lead to increased 
student achievement, the standards must count. Students must be required 
to meet them, and schools must provide each student with adequate 
preparation.
    At present, too often standards don't count. Students are passed 
from grade to grade often regardless of whether they have mastered 
required material and are academically prepared to do the work at the 
next level. It's called ``social promotion.'' For many students, the 
ultimate consequence is that they fall further and further behind, and 
leave school ill equipped for college and without the skills needed for 
employment. This is unacceptable for students, teachers, employers, and 
taxpayers.
    That is why I have repeatedly challenged States and school districts 
to end social promotions--to require students to meet rigorous academic 
standards at key transition points in their schooling career, and to end 
the practice of promoting students without regard to how much they have 
learned. As every parent knows, students must earn their promotion 
through effort and achievement, not simply by accumulating time in 
school.
    This is especially important in the early grades, where students 
must acquire a firm foundation in reading in order to learn other 
subjects in later grade levels. Students should not be promoted past the 
fourth grade if they cannot read independently and well, and should not 
enter high school without a solid foundation in math. They should get 
the help they need to meet the standards before moving on.
    Neither promoting students when they are unprepared nor simply 
retaining them in the same grade is the right response to low student 
achievement. Both approaches presume high rates of initial failure are 
inevitable and acceptable. Ending social promotions by simply holding 
more students back is the wrong choice. Students who are required to 
repeat a year are more likely to eventually drop out, and rarely catch 
up academically with their peers. The right way is to ensure that more 
students are prepared to meet challenging academic standards in the 
first place.
    Schools must implement those proven practices that will prepare 
students to meet rigorous standards the first time. Schools must provide 
smaller classes, especially for the most disadvantaged students. They 
must be staffed with well-prepared teachers. Schools should use specific 
grade-by-grade standards and a challenging curriculum aligned with those 
standards. They must identify those students who need extra help early 
on, and provide it immediately. There must be after school and summer 
school programs for students who need them. The entire school staff must 
be accountable for results, and must work together as a team to achieve 
them for every child.
    If steps such as these are taken in every school as part of an 
overall effort to require students to meet academic standards, we would 
see a dramatic rise in student achievement and a decline in student 
retention rates. My Administration must help States, school districts, 
and schools take these steps.
    A growing number of States and school districts is responding to the 
challenge of ending social promotion. A recent study by the American 
Federation of Teachers shows that seven States now require school 
districts and schools to use State standards and assessments to 
determine if students can be promoted at key grades. We must encourage 
more States to take this step.
    Chicago has also ended social promotions, and instituted a program 
that provides after school programs for students who need extra help and 
mandatory summer school for students who do not meet promotion 
standards. In Cincinnati, student promotion is now based on specific 
standards that define what students must know and be able to do. The 
standards are designed to prepare students to pass the State's ninth-

[[Page 272]]

grade proficiency test. My Administration's proposal to establish 
Education Opportunity Zones in high poverty urban and rural communities 
will help more local school systems take these and related steps to help 
students meet challenging standards.
    As more States and localities move to end social promotions, we must 
help them design and implement approaches that will succeed. Therefore, 
I am directing you to take the following actions within 6 months:
    1. Produce and Widely Disseminate Guidelines for Educators and 
Policymakers on Effective Approaches to Ending Social Promotions. 
Drawing on the lessons from research and practice, these guidelines 
should provide educators and policymakers with practical advice on how 
to design and implement policies that require students to meet academic 
standards at key transition points before being promoted. The guidelines 
should help schools:
    implement strategies that will prepare all students to meet 
            the standards on time;
    end the use of remedial strategies that have been shown to 
            be ineffective;
    provide students who do not meet the standards with 
            immediate and effective extra help--such as after school 
            tutoring programs and summer school--so they can be promoted 
            on time;
    implement effective interventions for students who must be 
            retained; and
    make appropriate use of tests and other indicators of 
            academic performance in determining whether students should 
            be promoted.
    2. Help States and School Districts Use Federal Education Resources 
to Implement Effective Practices. The Department of Education should 
develop a plan to inform States, school districts, and schools how 
Department of Education programs and resources, such as Title 1, Goals 
2000, the 21st Century Schools Program, the Comprehensive School Reform 
Program, and others, can be used to implement the recommendations in the 
guidelines described above.
    Together, these initiatives can help ensure that our students 
receive a solid foundation in the basic skills of reading and math, and 
master advanced subject matters as well. They can help improve the 
quality of teaching and learning in our schools, and ensure that 
students who need extra help get it without delay. They can help 
strengthen our public schools by raising standards, raising 
expectations, and restoring accountability.

                                                      William J. Clinton