Fear of flunking hits the classroom tomorrow as 300,000 anxious public-school students try to pass reading tests — a new requirement to move on to the next grade.
And their parents are just as nervous.
“Hopefully my daughter will do good. She’s been working very hard,” said Valerie Canty, whose daughter, Shayla, is a sixth-grader at PS 101 in Forest Hills, Queens.
Shayla was one of 320,000 students who got warning notices that they might be forced to go to summer school — or be held back — unless they pick up their grades.
It’s all part of the Board of Education’s new policy ending social promotion — the controversial practice of passing failing kids to the next grade.
The new reality hits third-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders tomorrow. The same students will take math tests next month. Fourth- and eighth-graders and high school kids will take exams in May or June.
Shayla has been taking extra reading courses during and after school. And she has honed her skills by prepping at home.
“I feel better. I’ve been studying more so I can pass the test and not be so pressured,” she said.
Kids and parents aren’t the only ones sweating. Teachers, principals and superintendents also are feeling the heat to improve performance.
“Children are reading every day, all day long. We have after-school programs and school academies,” said Hilda Gutierrez, principal of PS 35 in the Morrisania section of The Bronx.
At District 27 in Queens, 11,808 students got warning notices — more than a third of the enrollment. The district covers the Rockaways, Howard Beach, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park and a portion of Jamaica.
“The kids are very stressed. This year there’s been a reality check regarding promotion,” said District 27 Superintendent Matthew Bromme.
Bromme said teachers have undergone additional training and all 37 elementary and middle schools have special reading programs for struggling students.
“All the professionals would like to see good statistics come out of their schools,” he said.