"Success for All" is a compensatory education program that significantly increased the reading performance of disadvantaged primary grade students in a Baltimore (Maryland) elementary school while also reducing retentions and special education placements. The program concentrates resources in kindergarten through grade three and uses…

This document reports the potential student retainee rates for the Austin (Texas) Independent School District at the close of the 1990-91 academic year in eight figures and 21 tables. The following are the report's major findings: (1) the retention rate for 1990-91 for kindergarten through grade 12 is 4.7 percent (0.4 percentage points lower than…

A search for patterns in grade retention rates across grades 1-12 to construct simulation research models is described in this paper. Aggregate data from Shepard and Smith (1989) on grade retention rates from 12 American states for the year 1979-80 and from 11 states for 1985-86 were examined for across-grade patterns, supplemented by Dade County…

Highlighting significant findings and discussing the debate between merit promotion and social promotion, this executive summary presents the main findings and concepts detailed in a larger report on student promotion standards in American education. It outlines the movement toward developing higher promotion standards and summarizes studies of…

Retention of pupils results in a need for additional teachers, facilities, and materials at a rate approximating the rate of retention. Retention is a more serious problem for the state, which needs to pay most of these increased costs. This paper reviews the research evidence to assess the cost-effectiveness of student retention policies.…

This research review summarizes the current research literature regarding Gesell screening. It also explores the controversy over whether developmentally unready children should be held out of kindergarten, retained at the end of the kindergarten year, or placed in pre-kindergarten or pre-first grade classes. A seven-page bibliography on…

A practicum intervention designed to decrease the incidence of retention of students in first grade, through a diagnostic-prescriptive intervention program and teacher inservice activities, was implemented and evaluated. Teachers at two schools were aided in the early identification of students at-risk for retention; psycho-educational evaluations…

This paper (1) reviews the literature on the relationship between entrance age into kindergarten and academic achievement and (2) reports a study of the effect of entrance age on school success. Some experts say that age alone is the best indicator of success. Others say that chronological age, mental age, intelligence quotient, readiness,…

The Polaris Project was conducted with first year students in the Kanawha County Schools. This study was designed to support educational planning and decision-making through systematic evaluation. Data concerning three of the Polaris Project objectives were analyzed. These objectives included: helping students progress/achieve beyond expectations;…

The Pre-First classes in Springfield Local Schools, Holland, Ohio, are designed to serve developmental needs of primary school children. The district-wide program serves children of normal intelligence who are developmentally young. A screening and placement process is used. Children are placed in the classes only by parental consent to the…

A school board's proposal to require secondary school students to repeat all required courses in which they received grades of D or F would probably result in significant, unintended increases in enrollment, overcrowding of facilities, and a need to hire many additional staff members. Analysis of the district's current procedures, which deny…

In the spring of 1984, the status of 131 students in Canada's 1980-81 junior kindergarten classes and 587 students in 1981-82 classes was documented by a follow-up study. Analyses consisted of frequency distributions for each relevant variable, compiled separately for students identified as "model" or "compensatory" in each…

One of 10 documents developed for preschool programs for handicapped children, the document reports a study of the long term effectiveness of the preschool program supported by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Putnam/Northern Westchester (New York). The study evaluated the impact of the program on 66 children in the areas of later…

Research on the retention or promotion of failing students has been unable to demonstrate the superiority of either method, concludes the author of this review. Furthermore, research shows that neither method by itself solves the educational problems of low-achieving students, since both retained and promoted students continue to achieve at levels…

GRADE REPETITION, PARTICULARLY IN THE EARLY GRADES, NOT ONLY FAILS TO HELP THE MAJORITY OF PUPILS ACADEMICALLY, BUT IN MANY CASES, CREATES ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS. FACTORS INVOLVED IN A STUDENT'S FAILURE VARY FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL. THE MAJOR PROBLEMS OF GRADE REPETITION ARE THAT THE STUDENT IS OLDER AND LARGER THAN HIS CLASSMATES, AND THAT HIS…