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…

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)

Some comments on cooperation between teachers and schools to facilitate smooth transitions for students as they advance from one school to another. (MK)

Summarizes research findings on the academic and social effects on students of grade repetition, and concludes that most students do not benefit from nonpromotion. (JG)

Identifies developmental, social skill, and problem behavior subdomains that best predict academic achievement and grade promotion or retention in the early school years. Tests of 184 students at the end of kindergarten and then one year later indicate that social skills assessment should be included in kindergarten screening packages. (RJM)

Survey responses of 407 elementary school principals revealed that the factors most influencing principals' decisions to retain students include lack of mastery of material, local and state accountability standards, and the student's maturity level and chronological age. Principals also believe children should be retained in the early years.…

The academic benefits of grade retention are doubtful. Researchers have found that a low percentage of retained students achieve at a higher rate and that many regress. Parents should request a multidisciplinary evaluation before allowing a child to be retained. (JD)

Several different methods for projecting grade-progression ratios were tested with 12 years of grade-specific membership data for Virginia. In nearly all cases, projections made by exponential smoothing produced more accurate results than series produced by averages, moving averages, or regression methods. (SLD)

Examined Israeli students' concerns and expectations about their transition to junior high school. Survey data indicated that students in the city where the junior high school system was new, expressed significantly more negative feelings and concerns regarding their anticipated adjustment than did students from the city with a veteran junior high…

Traces the history of standardized testing in the United States and reviews the differing views of testing advanced over the years. Illustrates some controversies and pendulum swings evident in two test uses, grade-to-grade promotion and college admissions. (SLD)

This document reports findings of a California Department of Education (DOE) study that examined grade-retention practices in the state. Data were collected primarily through surveys of schools and school districts. Findings indicate that approximately 1 in 10 students spent an extra year in school before second grade during the 1988-89 school…

Native education has often been perceived as a low status cousin of the "regular" (that is, middle class, suburban, white) education system, and the achievement levels of Indian students have historically been low. This situation is often attributed to the past policies of many different federal governments and to a succession of poorly…

This study compared academic achievement and self-concept of kindergarten and first grade students who had been retained with first graders who had not been retained. The academic achievement of kindergarten children who were retained was also compared with that of children socially promoted to first grade. Results indicated that both kindergarten…

Although over half of the states in the United States have implemented minimum competency testing (MCT) programs, problems continue to be reported by researchers. Educators have been concerned with these problems since the beginning of MCT. Accounts of testing problems include: (1) Durham, North Carolina students who fail the state-mandated test…

This paper describes a research study on promotion with reservation, in which students are accountable for their course work and must repeat courses they have failed. Subjects of the study were seventh and eighth grade students at Scenic Junior High School, Oregon. These students failed required courses during the school year 1983-84 and chose…