This study examines retention rates in Dade County (Florida) schools, using aggregate statistical data for the school years 1982-83 through 1988-89 to describe existing patterns and changes over time. An earlier study established commonalities of pattern across grades, over great disparities of circumstances, and across time. The following…

This report provides information on the number and percentage of students retained in grade during the 1982-83 school term in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Data were analyzed from reports filed by all principals and from the LAUSD Racial and Ethnic Survey, Fall 1982. Children's centers, adult schools, occupational centers, and…

This report provides information on the number and percentage of students retained in grade during the 1983-84 school term in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Data were analyzed from reports filed by all principals and from the LAUSD Racial and Ethnic Survey, Fall 1983. Children's centers, adult schools, occupational centers, and…

This Digest reviews the historical background on grade retention and promotion and examines research, criteria, and policies concerning these options. The historical overview points out changes in attitudes toward mastery-based promotion and social promotion practices in the schools. Valid and invalid approaches to research on grade retention are…

This handbook synthesizes results of workshops organized by seven countries (India, Pakistan, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam) on the dropout and underachievement problem. The objectives of these workshops were to: (1) design training strategies for reducing rates of dropping out and grade repetition; (2) develop plans and…

Students whose reading achievement was average, below average, and above average were compared on measures of educational and occupational background, family characteristics, and elementary school performance prior to grade 6. Results were analyzed separately by sex, race (Negro and Caucasian), both sexes and races combined, and upper and lower…

Reported are summaries of 27 legal cases substantiating the right of handicapped children to equal protection under the law including the right of being provided with an education, and full rights of notice and due process in relation to their selection, placement, and retention in educational programs. Nineteen of the cases concern the right to…

Argues that "redshirting" in kindergarten (or maintaining children in grade) can be a positive intervention if (1) the concept is used to enhance ability rather than underline failure and (2) the time periods children spend in the primary grades are made more flexible (to accommodate children's different rates of mastering skills). (KS)

Retention of students during the elementary years has been suggested as a possible reason for future difficulties in school. Procedures should be established by the schools to prevent retentions. Decision-making criteria are offered for when retention seems to be the only alternative. (DF)

Retaining students in New York City public schools is an intensely debated issue. Each year an increasing number of students are retained in grade. The objective of this paper is to analyze the New York City Board of Education promotion policy as a way to assess whether and how it is being implemented. Current research and a teacher-made survey…

This digest highlights major research findings about social promotion, retention, and programs that identify and assist students at risk of retention. Research findings indicate that, overall, neither social promotion nor retention offers lasting advantage nor leads to high performance. Some evidence supports, and little evidence disputes, the…

The effect of class size reduction on grades and retention was investigated. Class size for second and third graders in a rural school district was reduced from an average of 24 in second grade to an average of 20 students per class and an average of 25 in third grade to an average of 22 per class. The purpose was to investigate whether the…

This policy brief presents an in-depth look at the issue of grade-retention in Texas, reviews research that finds this practice to be ineffective, and outlines alternatives to both retention and social promotion. In-grade retention has been a recurrent theme in education over the last 30 years, and it is currently linked to calls for higher…

The potentially contradictory effects of high-stakes testing on dropout rates both through rising retention rates and improving achievement, further complicate the question of the effects of high-stakes testing-based retention on dropping out. There are no studies that have tracked students over a number of years to determine the effects of this…

This stringent promotion/retention policy has retained two to three times more students than before implementation. Further, the academic performance of retained students substantially improved between the year prior to retention and year following promotion. The policy is being well accepted by the community. (PB)