This study examined the long-term effect of retention/promotion decisions on the academic achievement of primary grade students. First, second, and third grade retainees were matched on several variables with same-age students who were not retained. Results indicated that retained students significantly improve their relative class standing by the…

This study investigated policies about the use of content acceleration and grade skipping for gifted students in middle and secondary schools by 105 school districts. Results indicated that only 15% of responding districts had formal policies about grade skipping, whereas 57% had informal policies effectively preventing grade skipping. Formal…

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…

This study examined self-esteem at 13 and 18 years of age among 340 gifted students. Results found no differential change in self-esteem according to whether or not students experienced academic acceleration. Analysis of students' self-perceptions of other personality characteristics also yielded no differential correlation to acceleration status.…

Data from 44 studies were mathematically integrated to determine the effect of grade-level retention on elementary and/or junior high school pupils. Grand means and effect sizes of dependent variable measures, including academic achievement and personal adjustment, were calculated. Outcomes for promoted pupils were more positive than for retained…

This handbook, issued in conjunction with the Governor's "Agenda for Excellence in Pennsylvania Public Schools," provides recommendations for revising promotion policies and practices in Pennsylvania schools. After a brief introduction, the results of a survey of promotion and retention practices are presented in summary form, followed…

In the summer of 1984, the Pennsylvania Department of Education conducted a survey of promotion policies and practices in Pennsylvania schools in response to a request for information from the State Board of Education. This document presents the major findings from the analysis of data from the 423 school districts that completed the survey. A…

Reviews historic approaches to grade retention, what research does and does not show about retention, and some factors to weigh when considering retention. Focuses on models developed by H. Wayne Light and Laurence Lieberman. Includes a sample elementary school promotion policy and a sample retention referral form. (IW)

An analysis of sex differences in promotion and non-promotion rates in an inner city public high school in Chicago (Illinois) supports the findings of national studies on the promotion trends of black students. A review of the literature reveals the following major trends among black males: (1) black males tend to avoid intellectual engagement and…

As part of a larger study, this paper examines the factors that determine promotion decisions at the end of first grade. Determinants of first grade failure are of particular interest because at this stage there are alternatives to failure. (Author/RWB)

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)

The program entitled Prevention of Learning Disabilities: An Interdisciplinary Model, developed and operated by the Learning Disorders Unit of New York University Medical Center, has three elements: scanning, diagnosis, and intervention. Educational intervention is done primarily by Board of Education teachers and educational assistants under the…

Decisions about whether to promote a student should be made on a variety of both academic and social grounds, and the curriculum should be restructured to meet the student's needs if retention is chosen. As with other academic/punitive measures, poor Blacks and Hispanics tend to be retained disproportionate to their numbers because minorities are…

Public education is facing a crisis of major proportions, but the things that are basically wrong with schools are not those being emphasized in current proposals for change. This paper identifies two basic defects in the American system of public education: (1) there is too little attention to individual differences; and (2) there is too much…

Reviewing research on grade retention, this paper describes tools and guidelines developed as an aid in retention decisions and examines actual promotion/retention policies and practices. Most research on academic and social effects of grade retention suffers from poor methodology, leaving the conclusions suspect and the results contradictory. The…