Retention practices are poorly documented yet the most comprehensive research on retention (Holmes and Mathews) shows that children who repeat a grade make less progress than similar children who are promoted. Explores the contradiction existing between school reform policy and actual retention practice. (MD)

Examined the relationship between early school retention as a result of preschool and kindergarten developmental testing and children's later academic achievement (N=223). Results showed children who scored as immature on the Gesell Screening Test and who were retained a year had the lowest scores on all measures. (JAC)

Reviews the history of grade repetition as a remedy for inadequate student achievement, examines recent trends in grade repetition policies, cites research findings relating to the effectiveness of grade repetition, clarifies the responsibilities of school personnel in making grade repetition decisions, and discusses alternatives to simple…

This literature review cautions that the issue of whether promotion or retention is more beneficial to student achievement is especially murky when it becomes a political decision. It concludes that grade retention seems to ignore the question of instructional effectiveness, blames the child for failure, and absolves the school of responsibility.…

Examined the effect of the presence of torque (clockwise circlings with either hand on a visual-motor task) on academic achievement variables among normal, disturbed, and learning-disabled children (N=948). Results indicated no clear relationship between torque and the various academic variables. (LLL)

Retention and social promotion are expensive failures. History and research show that retention and social promotion are ineffective in improving student learning and achievement. The alternative to these failed strategies is to personalize the learning environment. Research indicates six promising strategies for personalization, thereby reducing…

The 2000-2001 school year marked the first year of implementation of the Wake County Board of Education's Promotion and Intervention Policy at grades K through 8. It also marked the first year of the state's requirement that third, fifth, and eight grade students demonstrate grade level proficiency on the state End-of-Grade tests in reading and…

This report provides annual information for the 1997-1998 school year on grade-level retention in the Texas public school system, based on the Public Education Information Management System. In 1997-1998, a total of 150,953 students in kindergarten through grade 12 were retained in grade, an overall retention rate of 4.3%. Data on retention are…

Outlines a year-long approach to monitoring student progress and soliciting help from parents and pupil personnel staff when learning problems develop. (SJL)

Used hypothetical student profiles to investigate factors other than achievement that influence kindergarten teachers' retention decisions. Found that teachers were not more likely to recommend retention for boys, nor for children born in August, although the trend was to retain younger students. Teachers were more likely to retain children…

Examined effects of retention in kindergarten and first grade. Compared 31 retained students to 31 nonretained students with similar grades on grade point average in second through fifth grades and teacher-assessed social competence, cognitive competence, externalizing problems, internalizing problems. Retention, not associated with long-term…

Florida's Project CHILD (Computers Helping Instruction and Learning Development) is a computer-integrated instructional program for grades K-5. The project supplies teachers with training, specific strategies and supporting materials; teachers implement the program by following guidelines concerning classroom organization, implementation of…

Extra-year programs for children in kindergarten and first grade are not cost effective and have a tendency to keep children out of school. What does work is a developmentally appropriate curriculum for the primary grades that emphasizes integrated learning across the curriculum, small group instruction, and mixed-age grouping. (MLF)

Rates of retention over a five-year period were analyzed by grade, school, and the socioeconomic status of each of 32 elementary schools in a Midwestern district. Analysis of variance revealed that schools of middle socioeconomic status retained students at a significantly higher rate than did schools of low or high socioeconomic status. (SLD)

Discusses academic failure from the perspective of student denial and educator enabling and codependence. Denial is described as an interpersonal process requiring the participation of others. Educators are urged to consider how these components of the process interact in perpetuating school failure. (MMU)