Investigated relations between certain antecedent variables in Lebanese students' academic history and home environment and frequency of grade repetition. Information from 1,633 retainees representing all grade levels indicated that most entered school early, experienced frequent repetitions, and changed schools. Most were male, over-age for their…

This book describes the context of school retention and evaluates its effects by tracking the experiences of a large representative sample of Baltimore (Maryland) school children from first grade through middle school. The first chapter is a discussion of major issues of retention such as: (1) why the topic is often pushed aside in schools; (2)…

This book examines the issue of school readiness, focusing on children's readiness for entrance into kindergarten and promotion to first grade. Chapter 1 reviews the literature on school readiness, exploring trends in policy related to readiness and readiness as a child-centered characteristic. Chapter 2 examines various theoretical frameworks for…

The members of this task force adopted a broad approach to readiness so that issues relating to at-risk children and youth between the preschool years and graduation might be addressed. Two papers are presented: (1) "Readiness for the New Educational Standards" (Jean G. McDonald); and (2) "State Policy for At-Risk Children:…

In response to the increased movement toward competency-based education, a large urban southeastern school system implemented a Pupil Progression Policy in the 1980-81 school year. This paper reports on the results of a 5-year longitudinal study of the policy's effect on the academic achievement of retained and promoted students who entered first…

Using the 1976 Survey of Income and Education, and focusing on Hispanics aged 14 to 25, analyses were conducted to assess when in the schooling process Hispanics drop out. Findings suggest that over 40 percent of all Hispanic dropouts leave school before reaching the 10th grade, with most of the pre-high-school attrition occurring at the junior…

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…

Evaluation of the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (A.I.D.P.) program as it operated in 26 selected New York (New York) public high schools in 1986-87 raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the program. A minimum of 50 percent of the participants were to achieve the following objectives: (1) improve attendance; (2) pass at…

This final report summarizes the major Local/State Bilingual Program evaluation findings for the Austin Independent School District around four topics: (1) academic achievement; (2) the new kindergarten and first-grade Limited English Proficiency (LEP) exit criteria; (3) bilingual teacher recruitment; and (4) what can be learned from this year's…

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…

Evaluations of two Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) programs are contained in this report: (1) The School-Community Guidance Center (SCGC); and (2) The Transitional Academic Program (TAP). SCGC is a program serving incorrigible and delinquent students at two locations: the F. R. Rice Secondary School and the Travis County Juvenile…

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…