Research seems to indicate that grade retention of students may benefit students academically. However, other studies suggest that grade retention does not improve the achievement of problem students, does not ensure significant gains in achievement, affects boys twice as often as girls, and occurs frequently for children with learning, behavior…

The history of the strategy of grade retention for low achieving students is briefly reviewed and conflicts concerning its efficacy are summarized. Current research aimed at identifying specific criteria (including some found to be correlates of learning disabilities) which aid educators in making retention decisions is described. (Author/DB)

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…

Description of, and guidelines for, a preventative early intervention program designed to provide a strong academic, social, and emotional foundation for postkindergarten students considered to be at risk for future academic difficulties. (Author/DCS)

Analysis of medical and educational status of 60 children (6-18 years old) with unilateral hearing loss revealed that approximately one-third had failed at least one grade. Nearly 50 percent had either failed and/or needed resource assistance. A subsample performed less well than hearing Ss on localization and syllable recognition tasks.…

Surveyed 325 school personnel to examine the content validity of the Light's Retention Scale (LRS), assessing the use of selected retention criteria from the scale. Results indicated that several criteria were not typically considered in retention decisions and the remaining criteria varied widely in their use. (Author/JAC)

This study investigated how the 1998 Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) achievement test scores of retained students in third grade (15% of students tested), sixth grade (10%), and eighth grade (4.6%) affect the citywide results in those grades and in subsequent grades. In third, sixth, and eighth grades, when the scores of retained students are…

School-related characteristics of 256 male juveniles under the jurisdiction of a Family Court system were examined by perusing court records and conducting individual interviews with the juveniles. Results indicated that most juveniles last attended eighth grade, more than 81% had failed at least once, and more than half had fought frequently at…

This study explored the relationship between failure to be promoted in elementary school and the self-concept of the child. Failure to be promoted was associated with a negative self concept and those students who failed to be promoted more than once had a more negative self-concept than those who had failed to be promoted only once. (Author)

Reviews ERIC materials dealing with the issue of grade repetition. (FL)

Examines the complexities of decisions about special educational services including pull-out placements and retention. Makes that complexity personal through the stories of six children whose school lives were examined for 4 years. Concludes that there are devastating human consequences to standardized solutions. (SG)

Although grade retention is widely practiced, it does not help children catch up or prevent school dropouts. In one study, children rated the prospect of flunking a grade as more stressful than wetting in class or being caught stealing. Remediation and other within-grade instructional efforts have a more positive success rate. Includes 16…

A South Carolina school district is working with researchers at Johns Hopkins University on a long-term intervention plan to boost the district on-time graduation rate to 80 percent by the year 2001. Increasing students' chances of staying at grade level reduces the chances they will drop out. (MLF)

Presents eight-session small group counseling unit for primary-grade children who have been identified for grade retention or who were recently retained. Presents results of pilot study of the program. Notes that Fresh Start club emphasizes to children that there are positive aspects to retention and that they are not alone in the experience. (NB)

Elementary teachers' beliefs, knowledge, and practice relating to retention were explored using an adapted version of the Teacher Retention Beliefs Questionnaire (Tompchin & Impara, 1992). A researcher-developed knowledge section was added to the original questionnaire to measure teachers' propositional knowledge of retention. Thirty-five, K-4…