social promotion
nounDefinition of social promotion
: the practice of promoting a student from one grade level to the next on the basis of age rather than academic achievement
Examples of social promotion in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some school districts do continue to have social promotion policies, which became popular over concerns that holding kids back would discourage them from trying and compound the problem. — Emily K. Coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "Waukegan District 60 considering 'very large cultural shift' on passing students," 11 Apr. 2018 For two decades policy makers have harshly criticized public schools for social promotion—the practice of moving a child to the next grade level regardless of academic achievement. — Peg Tyre, Scientific American, "Trump Administration Advances School Vouchers Despite Scant Evidence," 1 Aug. 2017 Hold students accountable for mastering content, end social promotion. — Devin Kelly, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage School Board Q&A: How would you help close achievement gaps?," 7 Mar. 2018 Louisiana had long erred on the side of social promotion, often passing underachievers through school despite low reading and math levels. — The Hechinger Report, NOLA.com, "About 40 percent of New Orleans high school students are held back at least 1 grade," 8 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'social promotion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on social promotion
What made you want to look up social promotion? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz
-
- Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz
A mythological/etymological mashup!
Take the quiz -
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz -
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Take the quiz -
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Play the game
Share social promotion
Resources for social promotion