Cognitive, academic, and behavioral characteristics of 42 children with learning disabilities were assessed from identification at age 6-7 to the age of 11.5. At endpoint, resource students showed a drop in verbal intelligence quotient and lower achievement compared to mainstreamed students, though there were no differences at the time of…

With passage of several recent laws, the California State legislature intended to end social promotion, replacing it with a system of prevention, intervention, and retention. The "strategic schooling" approach depends on three elements: targets (both students and content), continuous feedback via assessments, and organizational and…

The issue of state-imposed standards and high-stakes tests for graduation and promotion has polarized communities and school boards. Lawsuits have arisen in Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Indiana, and California. Although opinion polls still strongly support standards and accountability, a backlash is spreading in some districts. (MLH)

The purpose of this study is to examine whether peer relations within classrooms were related to students' academic progress, and if so, whether this can be explained by students' relatedness and engagement, in line with Connell and Wellborn's self-system model. We analyzed data of 18,735 students in 796 school classes in Dutch junior high…

Merit promotion policies that require students to post passing scores on standardized tests or be retained in grade have become widespread. In this study, the author used a cultural sociological perspective to examine how teachers and students at two urban high schools enacted a district-wide merit promotion policy. Findings indicate that rather…

Looping is the practice in which a teacher instructs the same group of students for at least two school years, following them from one grade level to the next. Once a "loop" of two or more years is completed, the teacher may start a new loop teaching a new group of students. This evaluation study of the practice of looping in a large…

A legislative mandate requires the Texas Central Education Agency to submit a report each odd-numbered year that includes data collected on students retained in grade, including the reason for retention. This report presents current summary data on the retention rates of Texas students by grade level, age, gender, and ethnicity for 1992-93;…

Retention has been the answer to the problem of what to do with students who are unprepared for the academic and social demands of the next grade. Studies contend that children view retention as punishment and experience emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness when not promoted. Retention or nonpromotion can be defined as the practice of…

A report of retention rates is produced at the end of each school year in the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Texas. Information is gathered after the beginning of the school year to reflect counts of actual retainees from the previous year. Overall retention rates for the beginning of the 1993-94 school year are: (1) elementary, 0.5%;…

This review examines the effects of three educational practices on children's readiness for first grade. The practices, kindergarten retention, developmental kindergarten, and transitional first grade, are intended to provide children with an early extra year to give them more time to prepare academically and socially for regular first-grade…

Issue papers that focus on improving and expanding quality early childhood services in Louisiana are presented in this report. Each paper includes a description of current practice, several questions and answers concerning the issue, and a list of recommendations and strategies. Following an executive summary and introduction (which includes a…

Findings of a study that examined the effect of the reforms mandated by South Carolina's Educational Improvement Act of 1984 on student outcomes are presented in this paper. Specifically, the study sought to determine the impact of higher standards for grade promotion and graduation on retention rates, the proportions of students overage for their…

Early Prevention of School Failure (EPSF) is a program designed to prevent children from failing academically. The program, which was introduced in the Wake County, North Carolina Public School System in 1986, identifies the developmental level of each participating kindergartner and recommends strategies to address each kindergartner's needs and…

This summary provides a record of the proceedings of a workshop series and Wingspread Conference that were part of a series of events relating to child and family policy issues sponsored by the National Forum on the Future of Children and Families. Chapter 1 introduces the issues related to young children and academic achievement. Chapter 2…

This report describes the results of the United Parents Association's (UPA) project designed to monitor the effects of the New York City Board of Education's "promotional gates" policy of holding children back in the fourth and seventh grades, based on their scores on the California Achievement Test. The report was prompted by UPA's…