The purpose of this Technical Assistance Paper (TAP) is to provide school districts with updates and changes relative to third-grade student progression policies, including information on alternative assessments, promotion criteria and resources. This paper provides: (1) General Information; (2) Student Portfolios for Third-Grade Students; (3)…

The two traditional ways of dealing with students' inabilities to read--holding them back or passing them on to the next teacher--were rejected by one Delaware district anxious to improve its first-graders' reading skills. Teachers suggested involving parents, providing more reading time, and using teacher aides more effectively. A successful…

Developed as a retention alternative, the Summer Accelerated Learning Time (SALT) program combines two effective strategies, providing one-on-one tutoring within an extended-year framework for students at risk of early reading failure. An evaluation showed a 1.1 mean reading level change for 22 SALT participants. (10 references) (MLH)

In Long Beach, California, a courageous, communitywide conversation devised a new approach to enforcing K-8 promotion standards. Retention programs will not be a repeat of services, but offer retained children a significantly different academic experience. Retention criteria will comprise multiple measures, based on proficiency with content…

Students of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District who had been in first through sixth grade and had been retained at some point in their school careers were eligible to attend the 1982 summer school for retainees. A total of 1,193 students were enrolled for at least part of the summer school, with a 94 percent attendance rate for the days…