The focus of this volume is to identify and review issues and outcomes associated with behavioral concerns of students with learning and behavioral disabilities. Students must navigate a number of environmental conditions, task demands, and social interactions with peers and adults throughout the school day. To be successful, they must employ a…

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…

Summarizes school readiness and retention research issues, including youngest first graders' performance, entrance age policies, voluntary decisions to wait an extra year, assessment of children's readiness, and the negative effects of kindergarten and first-grade retention. Concludes that age disadvantages are seldom serious and usually disappear…

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) is now in its third year of study on the effects of a new retention policy adopted in 1981-82. Reviewing the results of the first two years led to the conclusion that traditional methods of studying retention might not be the most appropriate. These evaluations have primarily focused on the impact of…

Eighty-seven children relinquished at birth and adopted before the age of three years into different social classes were assessed in late adolescence. Findings indicated that the school failure of adoptees varies as a function of the social class of the adopive parents: the higher the social class, the lower the number of repeated grades. (RH)

Teacher self-reports of the frequency of currently advocated early literacy practices in Grades 1 through 3 were entered into regression models in an effort to predict 3rd-grade outcomes. Explicit skill instruction was a significant predictor of higher passing rates on a state examination and lower rates of special education referral but was also…

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…

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 paper (1) presents a critical analysis of the literature on school readiness and school failure; (2) discusses the problems that ill conceived policies based upon readiness studies present to the education of learning disabled, regular class, and gifted children; and (3) offers guidelines for policies and programs. Methodological issues…

Meta-analysis of 17 studies was conducted to determine the effectiveness of retaining elementary school students in grade. Calculations with data from the 17 studies produced 217 effect size measures, most of which were measures of differences in reading and mathematics achievement. Some measures of differences in social adjustment, behavior, and…

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…

A comparison of the educational attainment of white natives and children of white immigrants in the United States for a 90-year period from 1890 to 1980 indicates that the higher achievement of the children of immigrants has been a general phenomenon over several decades. Natives are defined as American-born with American-born parents; children of…

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…

The Austin Independent School District Office of Research and Evaluation (AISD-ORE) has recently completed a three year study of the effects of retention on elementary students. As in other studies comparing the academic achievement of elementary retainees and similar students not retained, findings indicated that promoted students generally show…

One of a series of studies examining Louisiana's compensatory education program, this study investigated four assumptions upon which a skill-specific intervention program was based. Framed as questions, these assumptions are: (1) Is retention effective for students who do not know basic content for a given grade level? (2) When is retention most…