Critics of strict "promotional gates" at the grade school level point

Question

Critics of strict "promotional gates" at the grade school level point to a recent study comparing students forced to repeat a grade with those promoted despite failing scores on an unscheduled, experimental competency test. Since there was no significant difference between the two groups' scores on a second test administered after completion of the next higher grade level, these critics argue that the retention policy has failed in its expressed purpose of improving students' basic skills.

Which of the following best expresses the argument made by critics of promotional gates?

A. Anxiety over performance on standardized tests often hinders a student s ability to master challenging new material.

B. A student's true intellectual development cannot be gauged by his score on a standardized competency test.

C. The psychological damage a child suffers by repeating a grade outweighs the potential intellectual benefits of a second chance at learning.

D. Strict requirements for promotion do not lead to harder work and greater mastery of fundamentals among students fearful of being held back.

E. Socioeconomic factors as well as test scores influenced whether a given student in the study was promoted or forced to repeat a grade.

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abhikc3004 · Answer

Option D.

I think this is is the closest paraphrase. The critics argue that the retention policy fails to improve basic skills, despite the idea that the threat of repeating a grade should motivate learning. This matches the conclusion.

A, C and E are OFS
B contracts the details in the question stem.

SafeRay · Answer

Question asks what the critics are actually arguing (paraphrase), not a random evaluation angle.

Critics' claim: retention / strict promotional gates failed their purpose of improving basic skills.
Evidence: retained students and students promoted despite failing looked similar on a later test.

So the core argument is: strict promotion rules are not producing greater mastery of fundamentals.

That is D.

Quick kills:
(A) Test anxiety is never part of their argument.
(B) They rely on test scores as evidence, so they are not claiming tests cannot measure development.
(C) Psychological damage vs benefits is not what they argue.
(E) Socioeconomic selection is a possible study flaw. That might weaken them, but it is not their argument.

Answer: D

arushi118 · Answer

A. Talks about test anxiety, which is never mentioned.
B. Questions whether standardized tests measure intelligence, but the critics accept the test results as evidence.
C. Introduces psychological damage from repeating a grade, which the argument never discusses.
D. Correct. It matches the conclusion that retaining students does not improve their basic skills, so promotional gates fail their intended purpose.
E. Brings up socioeconomic factors, which are not mentioned in the study or the critics' argument.

D is correcT.

Bunuel · Answer

KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

D

Since the critics claim, based on the study's results, that the policy of leaving students back doesn't improve their skills, the best restatement of their view is (D). (A) fails for two reasons: one, the critics never hinted that test anxiety was the reason for poor performance, and two, (A) discusses "challenging new material," whereas the tests in question assessed students' basic skills. In (B), we're not interested in students' "true intellectual development"-again, it's their mastery of basic skills. Anyway, (B)'s criticism of standardized test scores tends to go against the critics' argument, which is based on those very scores. The psychological damage of being left back, raised in (C), is well beyond the scope; the critics never hinted at this. Finally, (E) fails because the critics never discussed socioeconomic factors at all-just test scores.

Critics of strict "promotional gates" at the grade school level point

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