In the Louisiana Basic Skills Testing (BST) program, initiated in 1982, criterion-referenced tests of language arts and mathematics were administered to all second grade students. Longitudinal data over three years tracked four cohorts of students to address when retention appears to be most effective and whether a combination of repeated…

Using tests that are neither reliable nor valid, school districts are currently categorizing large numbers of children as unready for entrance into kindergarten and first grade. Parents are being asked to wait a year before sending their children to public school classes or to place them in a pre-kindergarten class. Other children complete…

Aware that some kindergarten children are not ready for the demands of a structured program, a kindergarten teacher developed and implemented a program which made use of classroom learning centers to help kindergarten students grow in all areas of development. Special attention was given to the process of helping students: (1) develop belief in…

This investigation at a southern Texas school district examined three factors that bear on teachers' decisions to recommend first- and second-grade students for retention: (1) criteria used by teachers, (2) degree to which criteria are common among teachers, and (3) relationship of recommendations for promotion or retention to objective measures…

Correlates of the teacher scales from the Effective School Battery (ESB) were examined in the Charleston County School District (CCSD) in South Carolina. Focus was on determining the relations between the ESB teacher scales and student academic achievement, progress through the grades, attendance, and dropout. This study was conducted as part of a…

This paper presents a follow-up study of the academic performance of children who had previously participated in one of eight experimental infant or preschool education projects. The initial phase of the study compared grade retention, special class placement and school dropout rates of the experimental program children with those of children in…

"The basic finding of this report is that minority students in the Southwest--Mexican Americans, blacks, American Indians--do not obtain the benefits of public education at a rate equal to that of their Anglo classmates. This is true regardless of the measure of school achievement used." The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has sought to…

Examines the relationship between 14 social process variables and the reading performances of 180 slow learners, ages 7-15. Finds that two of those factors (brith trauma and being held back in school) emerge as predictors of reading comprehension, word recognition, and spelling. (RL)

This report examines the efficacy of the Boston Pilot Schools, an innovative model of urban schools created to promote innovation and increased choice options within the Boston school district. The report uses school and district level data to examine student demographics, achievement, and engagement at the 11 Pilot Schools that were in operation…

Noting that the rate of grade retention has risen nearly 40 percent over the past 20 years, this case study examines whether being retained for 1 school year helps children academically by giving them more practice and time to succeed or harms their self-esteem and causes them to eventually drop out of school. Participating in the study were five…

This paper reports on the number and percentage of students repeating grades in Louisiana public schools in the years of 1997-1998 to 2000-2001. The findings are grouped by grade, economic status, education classification, gender, and ethnicity. Grade retention trends and the impact of high stakes testing policy on student retention are discussed.…

This policy study looks at existing and emerging state policies on social promotion to determine the extent to which students with disabilities are included or excluded. Results reflect the status of state polices at one point in time, as determined from publicly available state documents and statutes of 14 states with promotion policies. The…

This guide presents the Department of Education's strategy for ending social promotion in public schools. It opens with a description of social promotion and the pervasiveness and the consequences of this practice. The volume outlines the high standards that all students should be held to and emphasizes the importance of creating reliable measures…

"Communique" is the "official newsletter of the National Association of School Psychologists" (NASP). This "Special Edition" of "Communique" is a compilation of previously published articles all of which bear on information frequently requested by families. NASP is dedicated to building partnerships between…

Teachers appear to decide whether or not to promote girls partly on the basis of their behavior and not just on their achievement. Study compared boys and girls and their respective behaviors in the classroom as they influenced teachers to promote or retain them. (Author/RK)