There
is an issue that comes up regularly when I am working with educators and it
revolves around the issue of second chance. More often than not, the defense
for not giving students a second chance identifies the title of this post.
Those who are adamantly opposed speak as if, in the real world, there is no
opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and/or learning after the first attempt.
The examples that contradict that belief would fill up this post and more. It
is seemingly dichotomous to state a belief that all students can learn and pair
it up with “on the first opportunity”. Chris Weber and I tackle this thorny
issue in our upcoming book “RTI Roadmap for School Leaders: Plan and Go”
thusly:
Educators have an important
decision to make, because a firm commitment to all students learning at high
levels and a firm commitment to only one chance to demonstrate that learning
are entirely incompatible. We all recognize, as parents, caregivers, and/or
teachers, that children rarely learn at the same rate and in the same manner.
To terminate instruction at an arbitrary date and suggest that learning of that
content is at an end, and the one-time opportunity to demonstrate mastery is
upon us, defies all logic. But what about teaching responsibility? It is our
position that responsibility is better taught by demanding that students
persevere until they succeed than by giving them only one chance to do so. What
are we teaching students when we communicate that they don’t have to actually
learn the content being assessed once they’ve failed that first test—that they
are off the hook and need not keep trying? Does it not teach responsibility
when we demand that students keep up with the new content and receive
additional support on the old content until they reach the level of
understanding needed for them to be successful? We are teaching children
perseverance; we are insisting that they learn how to learn, and continuously
strive to improve.
