Rescuing Students From the Slow Learner Trap - National ...

student services student services student servicesRescuingStudents Fromthe SlowLearner TrapStudents whoare slow learnersfrequently see schoolas a punishment, butclassroom strategiesenable teachers to tapinto these students’strengths to enablethem to succeed.By Steven R. ShawSteven R. Shaw is an assistant professor inthe Department of Educational and CounsellingPsychology at McGill University in Montreal, QC,Canada.Student Services is produced in collaborationwith the National Association of SchoolPsychologists (NASP). Articles and relatedhandouts can be downloaded fromwww.nasponline.org/resources/principals.Jessica has struggled with reading and basic math skills since first gradedespite academic supports and after-school tutoring. In fourth grade, theschool psychologist reported that although Jessica’s test scores for intelligenceand achievement were quite low and she had clear educational need, shewas not eligible for special education services. Her intelligence test scores werenot low enough for her to be considered a student with intellectual disabilities.Neither did the tests indicate that Jessica’s academic skills were lower thanwould be predicted on the basis of her intellectual ability, so she did not qualifyas a student with a learning disability. As a result, Jessica has remained in regulareducation classes and neither she nor her classroom teachers have received additionalsupport. Instead, Jessica has been labeled a “slow learner” and has been leftto struggle, even fail. Progressively, she has lost academic motivation, and now atage 16, she is considering dropping out of school.Students at RiskJessica and her teachers have fallenthrough one of the largest and mostpervasive cracks in the educationalsystem—the slow learner trap. Slowlearners (i.e., students with borderlineintellectual functioning) represent oneof the most challenging student populationsfor administrators and teachers.Standard systems and supports areoften ineffective—even counterproductive—becausethey fail to meetstudents’ specific learning needs andinstead create a cycle of failure. By thetime many of these students get tohigh school, their academic difficultiesand related self-perceptions and attitudestoward learning are entrenched.The education system and the studentsthemselves assume that they aredestined to fail in school. This attituderesults in serious consequences forthe students—many of whom getheld back, develop social and behaviorproblems, or drop out—and theschools suffer in terms of their studentoutcome measures.Principals and teachers can helpprevent this cycle and promote successfor slow-learning students by recognizingthat it is most productive to considerborderline intellectual functioningas a risk factor to overcome, not as asentence to fail. Like adolescents withother risk factors, students with borderlineintelligence can develop resilienceskills and overcome those risks. Manystudents with borderline intelligenceachieve success in school, graduatefrom high school, and complete postsecondaryeducation.Characteristics of SlowLearnersChildren and adolescents with borderlineintelligence rarely meet eligibilitycriteria for special education services,although they have remarkably highfailure rates in the general educationsetting. Changing models of specialeducation, including response to interventionapproaches, are improvingaccess to academic supports, but mostslow learners fall into the gulf betweenspecial and general education.Definition and PrevalenceStudents with borderline intelligencehave intelligence test scores that fallsignificantly below the average scoreof 100 but above the range consistentwith intellectual disabilities (that is,below 70). Nationwide, they makeup approximately 14% of the studentpopulation, more than students in allspecial education categories combined.12 z Principal Leadership z february 2010

They account for disproportionatelyhigh proportions of the students whodrop out of school, are retained, arereferred for special education, becomepregnant, are incarcerated, use drugs,exhibit aggression and other mentalhealth problems, and are underemployedor unemployed. Moreover,the failure rates for slow learners arerising as tolerance for social promotiondecreases and passing standardizedhigh-stakes tests is required for gradepromotion and graduation.Learning CharacteristicsSlow learners have several characteristicsthat make classroom instructionchallenging:n They perform at a higher levelwhen information is presentedin a concrete fashion. Themore abstract a concept orteaching technique, the moredifficult it is for them to learn.n They do not transfer or generalizeskills, knowledge, andstrategies as well as their sameagepeers. They tend to learnwhat is taught quite well buthave difficulty transferring andapplying the concepts taughtto new situations.n They have difficulty cognitivelyorganizing new material andassimilating incoming informationinto previously acquiredinformation.n They have difficulty withlong-term goals and timemanagement.n They benefit from increasedacademically engaged time.They often require extrapractice and more time on taskto develop the same level ofacademic skills as their typicallydeveloping peers.n They nearly always developacademic motivation deficits.Issues for Secondary SchoolsWhen students who are slow learnersmove on to secondary school, their academicand social issues often becomemore severe and difficult to change.Moreover, organizational challengesin secondary schools present barriersto supporting this large population ofat-risk students.Secondary schools can be alienatingenvironments for many students.A single teacher is no longer fullyresponsible for each student’s successor failure. In secondary school, eachteacher often sees 150 or more differentstudents in the course of a week.Opportunities for close relationshipsbetween teachers and students arelimited. For slow learners, having closerelationships with educators and mentorsis necessary for them to overcomeacademic motivation deficits and selfconceptissues and to continue to developstudy skills. In addition, studentswho are slow learners are at higherrisk for behavior and mental healthproblems. A strong and cohesive adultsupport system at school is a requirementfor slow learners’ academic andsocial success.Although there are multiple reasonsthat slow learners rarely graduatefrom high school, two systemic barriersto graduation stand out. First, moststates and provinces require studentsto complete an algebra class to graduate.Algebra requires generalization oflearned knowledge to new problems.The abstract nature of algebra and therequirement to generalize knowledgedirectly target the academic weaknessesof slow learners.The second barrier is many of thetests that are required for graduation.Secondary schools can bealienating environmentsfor many students.A single teacher is nolonger fully responsiblefor each student’ssuccess or failure.february 2010 z Principal Leadership z 13