Students whose reading achievement was average, below average, and above average were compared on measures of educational and occupational background, family characteristics, and elementary school performance prior to grade 6. Results were analyzed separately by sex, race (Negro and Caucasian), both sexes and races combined, and upper and lower…

Reported are summaries of 27 legal cases substantiating the right of handicapped children to equal protection under the law including the right of being provided with an education, and full rights of notice and due process in relation to their selection, placement, and retention in educational programs. Nineteen of the cases concern the right to…

Argues that "redshirting" in kindergarten (or maintaining children in grade) can be a positive intervention if (1) the concept is used to enhance ability rather than underline failure and (2) the time periods children spend in the primary grades are made more flexible (to accommodate children's different rates of mastering skills). (KS)

Retention of students during the elementary years has been suggested as a possible reason for future difficulties in school. Procedures should be established by the schools to prevent retentions. Decision-making criteria are offered for when retention seems to be the only alternative. (DF)

Retaining students in New York City public schools is an intensely debated issue. Each year an increasing number of students are retained in grade. The objective of this paper is to analyze the New York City Board of Education promotion policy as a way to assess whether and how it is being implemented. Current research and a teacher-made survey…

This digest highlights major research findings about social promotion, retention, and programs that identify and assist students at risk of retention. Research findings indicate that, overall, neither social promotion nor retention offers lasting advantage nor leads to high performance. Some evidence supports, and little evidence disputes, the…

The effect of class size reduction on grades and retention was investigated. Class size for second and third graders in a rural school district was reduced from an average of 24 in second grade to an average of 20 students per class and an average of 25 in third grade to an average of 22 per class. The purpose was to investigate whether the…

This policy brief presents an in-depth look at the issue of grade-retention in Texas, reviews research that finds this practice to be ineffective, and outlines alternatives to both retention and social promotion. In-grade retention has been a recurrent theme in education over the last 30 years, and it is currently linked to calls for higher…

The potentially contradictory effects of high-stakes testing on dropout rates both through rising retention rates and improving achievement, further complicate the question of the effects of high-stakes testing-based retention on dropping out. There are no studies that have tracked students over a number of years to determine the effects of this…

This stringent promotion/retention policy has retained two to three times more students than before implementation. Further, the academic performance of retained students substantially improved between the year prior to retention and year following promotion. The policy is being well accepted by the community. (PB)

A fourth-grade teacher explains how she began planning for retention possibilities as soon as the Fall achievement test results became available by notifying parents immediately, working with them throughout the school year to help their failing children, and involving them in the promotion/nonpromotion decision. (SJL)

Summarizes research findings on the academic and social effects on students of grade repetition, and concludes that most students do not benefit from nonpromotion. (JG)

Examined differences in child-mother interaction, classroom adjustment during kindergarten, and retention in kindergarten between 41 first-born children of adolescent mothers and 88 first-born children of adult mothers. Found that the children of adolescent and adult mothers were generally indistinguishable in areas of classroom adjustment,…

Identifies developmental, social skill, and problem behavior subdomains that best predict academic achievement and grade promotion or retention in the early school years. Tests of 184 students at the end of kindergarten and then one year later indicate that social skills assessment should be included in kindergarten screening packages. (RJM)

Survey responses of 407 elementary school principals revealed that the factors most influencing principals' decisions to retain students include lack of mastery of material, local and state accountability standards, and the student's maturity level and chronological age. Principals also believe children should be retained in the early years.…