Globally, statistical analyses have found a range of variables that predict the odds of first-year students failing to progress at their Higher Education Institution (HEI). Some of these studies have included students from a range of disciplines. Yet despite the rise in the number of criminology students in HEIs in the UK, little statistical…

This research delves into the educational landscape in Maya City Secondary Schools, focusing on the outcomes of the Grade 12 National Examination through a mixed-method case study approach. It scrutinizes student performance in different modalities and fields of study while pinpointing factors that contribute to low pass rates and high failure…

This study investigates head teachers' perspectives of the school dropout problem at public secondary schools in rural Punjab, Pakistan. The study is based on qualitative methods and included interviews to collect primary data. Sixteen districts of the Punjab where secondary school dropout rate is above 20% were purposively selected for the study.…

When students fail an examination at the end of their first year, they are offered a resit examination, which they merely need to pass to progress into the second year. These resits anecdotally provide a dual purpose of testing that students have achieved the required level of attainment to progress, and incentivising additional effort. This paper…

Dropping out of high school has negative results and implications for individuals and society. The likelihood of dropping out is attributed to both social and academic risk factors. Poor high school attendance, low course completion, and low grade-point-average (GPA) have been identified as three leading indicators that students are at risk for…

Georgia law mandates that students who fail the state Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) twice in grades three, five, and eight be retained, unless a committee is convened including a subject-area teacher, an administrator, and the student's parent or guardian. If the committee unanimously decides the student may be successful in the…

High-stakes assessments have been a major factor in education reform and student success in the 21st century. Assessments are used to measure a student's ability to transfer classroom learning to formalized assessments. In the state of Texas, legislative policy was implemented to ensure that all fifth and eighth graders are prepared for proceeding…

"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) dictates students in Grades 3, 5, and 8 pass state tests to be promoted. Accordingly, most state education codes require students to pass reading and math exams for promotion. The majority of those who fail, however, appear to be promoted anyway. This article addresses core questions concerning the paradigm…

How many students repeat a grade each year? How do retention rates vary across states and over time? Despite extensive research on the predictors and consequences of grade retention, there is no systematic way to quantify state-level retention rates; even national estimates rely on imperfect proxy measures. We present a conceptually simple…

Those who decide to keep a child in an elementary grade for an additional year do so despite very persuasive research evidence that negative effects consistently outweigh positive outcomes. Retention suggests the student is solely responsible and is therefore a punishment rather than a solution. (MT)

This book focuses on how elementary school teachers and administrators can make sensible, well-reasoned, and defensible retention and promotion decisions. The book contains a reproducible retention/promotion checklist made up of questions selected on the basis of factors that have an impact on school success or failure. Checklist summary and…

A review of the literature in 1965 revealed considerable research into the respective merits of policies of (1) automatic promotion for all pupils, and (2) rigid retention-in-grade for those whose achievement was judged deficient. Although neither extreme was a panacea, promotion appeared to have fewer disadvantages than retention. Pupils who…

Examines current research to decide whether students who are doing poor academically or who have a social or emotional problem, will benefit from grade retention rather than promotion to the next grade. (DEP)

The nonpromoted group of pupils in this study continued to increase their self-concept scores significantly while scores of the borderline and promoted groups dropped slightly but significantly. (Author/IRT)

Recognizes the issue of nonpromotion as a reality that affects almost every public school. Suggests a simple, inexpensive, and promising remediation technique (modeled after the collegiate athletic practice of "redshirting") utilizing a semantic differential to change the focus of retention from negative inputs to positive outputs. (NEC)