NEW YORK, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that eighth graders will have to meet stiffer standards before they can advance to high school.
Bloomberg said Thursday in his State of the City address that promotion will be denied to those who fail standardized reading and math tests or flunk one of four courses, The New York Daily News reported.
"We're going to give eighth-graders the extra support they need to meet our higher standards," Bloomberg said. "If they're going to succeed in high school, and in a competitive world, they need to know the basics before they get there."
Bloomberg has pledged to end social promotion, the practice of moving children up automatically as they get older. But some parents and teachers objected to the eighth-grade proposals, saying they will encourage children to drop out.
About 1,300 eighth graders were held back last year. Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said the number would have been about 18,000 under the proposed new standards.
