I've always felt that many of the disruptions in class come from when students are bored. That's why an engaging lesson plan is extremely important. But even with the most engaging lessons, some students move at a faster pace than others. Many of the adult students I currently work with are incredibly smart, and didn't finish school just because they felt bored, because they moved faster than their peers and were not given any recognition for it. (Not to mention, DC Public Schools are not known for having the best GT services, which these students would most likely have benefited from.)
But there is good news! DC is in the process of implementing graduation requirements based on competency, rather than on number of hours spent in class. This supposedly radical policy has already been implemented in New Hampshire. Hopefully once implemented, rewarding students based on competency rather than class hours will solve several problems all at once: a) students who "pass" to the next grade level will not have holes in their learning; b) students can learn how to take charge of their own learning and develop life skills such as time-management and self-responsibility; c) the independence required in college and in other options after high school won't be as much of a transition; d) students who are really motivated can finish high school early (i.e. by 15 or 16) and have time to work to pay for school (and get real-world experience) before heading off to college; and e) as I've already stated, classroom discipline will be less of an issue since students can always be doing something.
So many good things can come from this! Hopefully this policy will come to fruition.
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