Highlighting significant findings and discussing the debate between merit promotion and social promotion, this executive summary presents the main findings and concepts detailed in a larger report on student promotion standards in American education. It outlines the movement toward developing higher promotion standards and summarizes studies of…

Reviews issues relative to retention of schoolchildren. Includes a historical perspective on the retention-promotion controversy, information on retention policies and retention prevalence rates, a review of research on the effectiveness of retention, and a discussion of factors that should be considered by psychologists making retention and…

Examining student promotion standards in American education, the author reviews the origins and history of the shift between merit promotion (which advances students based on demonstrated skill competence) and social promotion (which advances students in response to their social needs). Case studies of promotional policies are provided for schools…

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…

This collection of essays discusses some of the general concerns and issues related to tracking the flow of community college students through higher education. The chapters in the volume include: (1) "Tracking Systems and Student Flow," by Trudy H. Bers; (2) "Beyond the College: State Policy Impact on Student Tracking…

This article examines available literature on a variety of options for accelerated learning in middle school. Different forms addressed include concurrent enrollment, guided independent study, combined enrollment, out-of-school acceleration, self-paced instruction, grade skipping, and differentiated or advanced class enrollment. A list of…

This paper examines the impact of multiple grade skipping on social adjustment and self-esteem of extremely gifted students. A survey of the literature and research in Australia and the United States on well-planned and carefully monitored radical acceleration finds no evidence that students suffered social or emotional problems; to the contrary,…

Reveals significant correlation between older Maltese students and high test scores on their examinations to enter junior high. Older students are those born in the early months of the year. Study found little difference in scores between genders, although girls were more likely to pass the examination than boys. (MJP)

This publication focuses on the retention/promotion debate regarding failing and low-achieving students. An introductory essay describes the inherent limitation in the research done on this issue--the impossibility of obtaining an appropriate control group--and suggests that the retention/promotion quandary can best be resolved by accommodating…

In order to identify factors which indicate a student would benefit educationally from retention, and to provide information and recommendations to educators, parents, and others involved in the decision to retain a child, this paper addresses the issue of retention in four major areas: the historical basis of retention, negative and positive…

Academic decisions related to grouping, grading, and student promotion are discussed in this legal memorandum for secondary school principals. Federal and state court cases involving enrollment, student placement, promotion, grading, graduation, and gender-based classification are examined. Conclusions are that judges tend to respect an educator's…

The Pupil Progression Plan detailed in this document was developed in response to Florida's Educational Accountability Act, which requires each school district to establish a comprehensive program for pupil progression, and to fulfill the requirements of school board policy. The first section details general procedures for promotion, grades K-12.…

Each year, many teachers face the problem of where to place children who do not fit into the rest of the class. Retention is an option that is frequently considered for these children. Children considered for retention often have poor academic skills, are small in stature or the youngest in the grade, have moved or been absent frequently, do…

This monograph consists of 22 reprints of reports published since 1979 in the Middle School Journal's regular column "What Research Says to the Practitioner." Each report synthesizes research studies related to effective implementation of middle school programs and concludes with a list of references. The contents are divided into two main…