Most children enter kindergarten when they are 5 years of age and move into first grade when they are 6. This time period is marked by great developmental change (Sameroff and Haith 1996), and children differ in what they can and cannot do socially, physically, and cognitively. Therefore, parents and educators are concerned whether certain…

"Looping" is a practice that allows single-grade teachers to remain with the same class for 2 or more years. Organized in a question-and-answer format, this book answers 72 questions about looping commonly asked by teachers and parents, including questions about its benefits, disadvantages, and implementation. Chapters include: (1) "What Is…

This study examined the relationship between preschool attendance and placement in compensatory education and retention rates in grades kindergarten through 3. Participating were 292 students in kindergarten through grade 3 in 1994-96 at a small elementary school serving a lower to middle class population in West Virginia. Students were placed…

This document is comprised of four consecutive issues (Winter 1998-Fall 1999) of a newsletter published quarterly to provide information on current research and practice to early childhood professionals teaching in the primary grades in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Montana. The winter 1998 issue focuses on retention in the early grades,…

This study used a double method approach to examine Quebec kindergarten and elementary school teachers' beliefs about grade retention. The research combined a quantitative approach, in which 227 teachers responded to a questionnaire, with a qualitative study of a selected sub-sample of 12 teachers holding opposite beliefs about grade retention.…

In 1997 the Board of Education of the Durham (North Carolina) Public Schools passed a policy that required all students performing below grade level on the Eighth Grade Competency Test in either reading or mathematics to attend summer school and demonstrate progress in order to be eligible for promotion to the next grade. This requirement was…

This study investigates the correlates and consequences of grade repetition on student academic progress and social and emotional development using the first grade cohort data from the "Prospects" longitudinal database. Analyses looked at two types of comparisons, same age and same grade, on three contrasting groups of students: (1) retained…

Recent revisions of the Florida School Code by the Florida Legislature include a major component focusing on proficiency in reading. In particular, grade 3 students who do not score at level 2 or higher on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) SSS Reading Test must be retained, unless exempted for special circumstances. This new…

The data which are brought together in this bulletin concern elementary schools, high schools, and colleges, and were collected by a special inquiry of the Bureau of Education in December, 1908. The data collected are significant primarily for the light which they throw upon the problems of retardation and elimination in schools. In two cases the…

Used Light's Retention Scale totals, along with measures of achievement, and self-concept to predict academic, emotional, and social status at the end of the repeated first grade. Results suggest that Light's Retention Scale is neither reliable nor valid as a psychometric device. (Author/JAC)

Explores grade retention rates among children with undiagnosed learning disabilities (LD). Data collected on 344 students referred for special-education evaluation revealed that, of the 201 who possessed an LD, 71.6% had been retained at least once. Minority and urban LD students were more apt to be retained before being referred for evaluation.…

An unacceptably high first-grade retention rate prompted a study of the early childhood program in the District of Columbia Public Schools, because the system had invested heavily in the program with little success. This report summarizes how the study began, what the study has revealed, and how this research is transforming a major urban school…

Investigated the effects of kindergarten schedules and preschool experience on elementary school students' success. Results indicated that children who attended preschool experienced greater success in elementary school than those who did not. Childrens' participation in full-day kindergarten was positively related to their school performance…

Investigated relations between certain antecedent variables in Lebanese students' academic history and home environment and frequency of grade repetition. Information from 1,633 retainees representing all grade levels indicated that most entered school early, experienced frequent repetitions, and changed schools. Most were male, over-age for their…

The benefits of pre-first programs and grade retentions are not consistently supported in the research literature. Study investigates the short- and long-term effects of pre-first programs on students' (n=66) academic achievement in reading and mathematics. No significant differences were found in six of the eight analyses conducted, indicating…