Many big cities have instituted systematic retention to replace social promotion policies. This study examined the extent to which retaining low achieving students in their current grade for an additional year has a built-in effect on the average reading scores for the grade in which they were retained and the grade they would have been promoted…

This evaluation report contains descriptive information about the population of students retained during the 1985-86 school year under a new policy in San Diego City (California) Schools. The courses failed by at-risk secondary school students were analyzed in terms of course content and student outcomes. Intervention strategies attempted with…

This longitudinal study, which is second in a series of reports on the Detroit Public Schools' Extended Day Kindergarten (EDK) Program, investigated effects of the program on students as they went through elementary school. Participants were randomly selected groups of students who were provided EDK experiences and, for comparison purposes,…

Third in a series investigating the effects of the Detroit Public Schools' Extended Day Kindergarten (EDK) Program on students as they progress through elementary school, this report presents longitudinal data on randomly selected experimental (EDK) and control (traditional kindergarten) groups who were in kindergarten during 1983-84, 1984-85, and…

Several current educational practices have narrowed the kindergarten and primary grade curriculum, constricted equal educational opportunity, and curtailed the exercise of professional responsibility of early childhood educators. In response to these trends, the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District presents its third and final report to the Texas Education Agency concerning the Summer School Pilot for 1982. This program was designed to provide additional basic skills instruction so that elementary school retainees would not fall further behind during the summer and would be better prepared to…

This book on the topic of flunking and grade retention comprises the following articles: (1) "Introduction and Overview" (Lorrie A. Shepard and Mary Lee Smith); (2) "Grade Level Retention Effects: A Meta-Analysis of Research Studies" (C. Thomas Holmes); (3) "Repeating and Dropping Out of School" (James B. Grissom and Lorrie A. Shepard); (4) "A…

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…

This manual was written to assist local school districts in fulfilling the 1984 legislative mandate of the Connecticut General Assembly that requires schools to develop, adopt, and implement written policies concerning homework, attendance, and promotion/retention. The first section offers a brief discussion of the process of policy development,…

In the summer of 1984, the Pennsylvania Department of Education conducted a survey of promotion policies and practices in Pennsylvania schools in response to a request for information from the State Board of Education. This document presents the major findings from the analysis of data from the 423 school districts that completed the survey. A…

Research findings concerning the relationship of grade retention to the self-concepts and academic achievement of middle and junior high school students, and to school promotion standards are examined. The few studies conducted in this area of research seem to indicate that (1) failure to be promoted to a higher grade is related to children's…

This study of eighth graders investigates the effects of Kindergarten attendance on (1) Basic Skills Test (BST) performance and (2) the incidence of grade retention (non-promotion). To accomplish the first purpose, over 64,000 eighth grade pupils in the public schools of Tennessee were administered the BST. On each answer sheet of the BST pupils…

A study was conducted to determine the relationship between fourteen social process variables (relating to perinatal events, early language patterns, parental/home environment, and child behavior patterns) and the reading performance of retarded readers. The subjects were 180 children, aged seven through fifteen, randomly selected from among…

Reviews historic approaches to grade retention, what research does and does not show about retention, and some factors to weigh when considering retention. Focuses on models developed by H. Wayne Light and Laurence Lieberman. Includes a sample elementary school promotion policy and a sample retention referral form. (IW)

Interviews with more than 100 persons from seven diverse California school districts revealed a lack of formal information disclosure about the matching of particular students with teachers, courses, grade levels, and schools. Discusses information disclosure benefits in terms of informed choice and the citizen's right to know. (MLF)