We use event history analysis on an aggregate dataset from 1997 to 2018 to understand the state-level antecedents associated with the adoption of test-based grade retention policies. Findings indicate that the educational conditions of a state to be more predictive of retention policy adoption than the political, economic, and geographic measures.…

Purpose: This longitudinal study aims to understand the circumstances of and changes in student enrollment in Honduras by comparing geographically and socioeconomically different areas and students' year of school entrance. Design/methodology/approach: The sample was made up of 4,043 students from seven primary schools in a regional city and the…

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to evaluate the long-term effects of Florida's Third-Grade Retention policy on low performing students' subsequent academic performance as measured by FCAT reading scores. The study included a random stratified sample of 1500 retained third graders for failure to meet Florida's…

Holding students back when they do not meet a specific attainment level is common practice in a lot of countries. However, this practice is not without controversy and recent studies point at the negative effects of grade retention, especially in the long-term. The majority of these studies focused on grade retention in primary education. In our…

This longitudinal study investigates whether rural adolescents who transition to a new school in sixth grade have higher levels of risky behavior than adolescents who transition in seventh grade. Our findings indicate that later school transitions had little effect on problem behavior between sixth and ninth grades. Cross-sectional analyses found…

This study is a contribution from the Eurydice Network to the debate on school failure and early school leaving within the framework of the European Commission's policy on education and training. In all education systems, in one form or another, pupil progress is assessed throughout the school year and various measures are put in place to support…

In 2002, Florida adopted a test-based promotion policy in the third grade in an attempt to end social promotion. Similar policies are currently operating in Texas, New York City, and Chicago and affect at least 17 percent of public school students nationwide. Using individual-level data on the universe of public school students in Florida, we…

Considers the problems of teaching children at widely differing stages of development in the same class. Compares European practices of holding back slow developers with the English practice of strict age placement. Suggests that European methods reduce the need for individual instruction and increase the learning of the class as a whole. (DSK)

Social promotion has long been the normal practice in American schools. Critics of this practice, whereby students are promoted to the next grade regardless of academic preparation, have suggested that students would benefit academically if they were made to repeat a grade. Supporters of social promotion claim that retaining students (i.e, holding…

Nine states and three of the nation's biggest cities have adopted mandates intended to end "social promotion"? promoting students to the next grade level regardless of their academic proficiency. These policies require students in certain grades to reach a minimum benchmark on a standardized test in order to move on to the next grade. Florida,…

Analysis of educational statistics published by the Cuban government and by the United Nations (UNESCO) for 1969-88 focuses on enrollments in Cuban schools and colleges, student-teacher ratios, and the percentage of repeaters in each grade. Data tables include comparisons with other countries of Latin America and North America. (SV)

In the mid-1990s, the Chicago Public Schools declared an end to social promotion and instituted promotional requirements based on standardized test scores in the third, sixth, and eighth grades. This article examines the experience of third and sixth graders who were retained under Chicago's policy from 1997 to 2000. The authors examine the…

Grade-retention policies of 100 California school districts were rated according to the amount of effort required to implement retention policies and the extent to which objective criteria govern retention decisions. Results support use of this framework for comparing retention policies and rates when district size is taken into account. (SLD)

Differences in the age of entry to kindergarten and the use of kindergarten retention as functions of a child's sex and ethnicity were assessed for over 1,800 Anglo and Latino kindergarten students in 3 California school districts. Impact of these policies on early school failure are discussed. (SLD)

This Policy Brief describes and explains patterns of access to schools in South Africa. It outlines policy and legislation on access to education and provides a statistical analysis of access, vulnerability and exclusion. It is based on findings from the Country Analytic Review on Educational Access in South Africa (Motala et al, 2007) [ED508808]…