Grade Retention in Schools

1. Grade Retention in Schools Why One More Year Can Be A Good Thing

2. Arguments in Favor of Grade Retention • If students don’t master content, based on high stakes testing, another year gives them time to master and acquire needed skills and knowledge • Retention gives children extra time to grow and develop • Allows children who are having difficulty keeping up with his or her peers time to catch up and feel comfortable in a school setting

3. Arguments continued • A student who didn’t meet grade level criteria will fall further behind as they move through subsequent grades. • If they were unable to succeed in the 2nd grade, then they will have a harder time succeeding in the 3rd grade • The extra year in the same grade is worth it to help students academically

4. Repeating a Grade: opinions, policies and practices • According to a Public Agenda survey done in 2000, 66% of public school parents would approve (strongly or somewhat) the school’s recommendation to hold their child back if he/she failed to meet academic standards after attending summer school • 77% of respondents in a Gallop Poll in 2001 agree that students should be required to pass a standardized test in order to be promoted to the next grade (Alexander et. al, 2003)

5. Professional Opinions • Smith and Shephard (1988) • “Teachers believe… the pupil career should be driven by competence or readiness rather than by social promotion and… for the most part, they act accordingly to these beliefs” • According to the American Federation of Teachers (1997): • Promoting children who are clearly not prepared sets them up for further failure and poses challenges for teachers, who then must instruct children with widely varying competencies and motivation (Alexander et. al, 2003)

6. Design flaw in the studies of grade retention • According to Wu et. al (2010), “Because students are not randomly assigned to the intervention (i.e., retention or promotion), a failure to adequately control for pre-existing differences between retained and promoted students that may affect students’ academic and social trajectories leaves open the possibility that pre-existing vulnerabilities rather than retention may be the cause of post-retention outcomes.” • Cautionary studies don’t distinguish between students forced to repeat a failed grade and those who voluntarily repeat a year (Paciorek 2008).

7. One study by Louisa H. Pierson & James P. Connell • Focused on effect of grade retention on self-system processes, school engagement, and academic performance. • One result is that while it appears that whereas retention is not a cure-all for below grade-level academic performance, students whose academic performance suggests that they should be retained, and who are retained, perform better 2 or more years later than students with comparable performance who are promoted.

8. More results • Retained students do perform as well and are rated by their teacher as trying as hard as their non-retained classmates who are matched by current ability • No evidence of significant differences in general self-worth among the four comparison groups (retained group, matched-ability comparison group, social promoted comparison group, stratified random comparison group) (Pierson & Connell, 1992)

9. Socio-Emotional reasons for retention • Sometimes retention is needed if the child is having difficulties with behavior or social expectations in the classroom. • Changes in peer groups result in changes in peer status and appraisals of relationships to peers. • For those students who have been rejected or ignored, the change may be positive. • Students who have had positive peer relations may have very good social skills, which help them make new friends in their new grade placement. (Pierson & Connell, 1992)

10. One study on effects of retention on psychosocial outcomes • In 2010, Wu et. al conducted a study on retention in the first grade to find out the effects on externalizing and internalizing behaviors; social acceptance; and behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement. • They found that “relative to promoted children, retained children were found to benefit from retention in both the short and longer terms with respect to decreased teacher-rated hyperactivity, decreased peer-rated sadness and withdrawal, and increased teacher-rated behavioral engagement.” • Wu et. al (2010).

11. Findings continued • Retained children are also more likely to improve more than promoted students in the short term in meeting classroom expectations for behavior and social competencies. • The additional year of maturation affords retained students the opportunity to “catch up” to their (younger) grade mates in behavioral and emotional adjustment.

12. Real stories of how grade retention worked • Patty Meek, a professor at UCD, shared with me two instances in which retaining of students worked and had a positive impact on the student (even at middle school level!) • The sixth grader (Felicia) was a parent request, indeed demand, due to her daughter's need for literacy development and achievement.  We 'lovingly fought' this parent 'tooth and nail,' but in the end?  She was right.  Her daughter, fifth grade, had finally begun to blossom regarding literacy; her daughter had a good relationship with the teacher in fifth grade, and her mom (who I still see occasionally!) was absolutely right.  The retention impacted the student in a positive way. • For Felicia, the goal was to improve her reading.  It worked.

13. The eighth grader (Casey) was one who had done so little work, and participated so little in class, that we really felt he hadn't learned enough to go on to high school.  His mom (who I still see occasionally!) lovingly 'fought us' 'tooth and nail' but in the end, we convinced her.  What that meant for me and for Casey though (and crazily enough, he 'adores me!' and I still see him occasionally!) was three hours per week, after school time, of one on one studying, reading, etc.  Overall, I think the retention positively impacted him. • For Casey, the goal was to strengthen his study skills, his confidence, his self-advocacy, and his grades.  It worked.

14. Patty’s advice when it comes to retaining a student • Schools/parents need to be VERY THOUGHTFUL when considering retention.  Overall, the research strongly suggests 'don't do it.'  That's why there are checklists out there, etc. regarding potential efficacy of retaining students.  My biggest beef ON THE PLANET (well, I have a lot of beefs, I guess)?? Teachers, schools, etc. tend to recommend 'retention' as if that 'magic word,' just the having 'retained' a student, will make an impact.  My questions?  If retained, WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT AS FAR AS HIS OR HER EDUCATION IS CONCERNED?  WHAT INTERVENTIONS?  WHAT SUPPORTS?  WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC GOAL OF RETENTION?  HOW WILL YOU MEASURE THE EFFICACY OF THE RETENTION IN TERMS OF THE GOALS SET?  HOW OFTEN WILL THE STUDENT'S PROGRESS BE REVISITED?Or, will he or she be retained and simply 'languish?'

15. Another example • Kristin Parsons, a 5th teacher in the St. Vrain Valley School District: • Cole, my son with Down Syndrome, was retained (per our request, NOT the school's) in kindergarten. Traditionally, it is against "policy" to retain a student with special needs, but we felt it was in his best interest for several reasons. First, although he had a really caring and compassionate set of friends, he makes friends quite easily and we hoped that in his second round of kinder, he would develop another set of kids that he could enjoy friendships with.

16. Second, he is one of the "younger" kids (April 19th birthday), and if he didn't have special needs, we might have considered holding him out of kinder for a year anyway. • Third, because of having Down Syndrome, he will/would learn many things that every kid learns, but just at a much slower rate. By giving him another year in kinder, he was not as far behind his peers that second year. • He was also sick a lot that first year and missed quite a bit of school, as well as tiring out really easily during his day, so we weren't sure he was accessing all the learning that he was exposed to that year.

17. How do I know if my child or student should be retained? • If you answer yes to any of the following questions, your child or student may benefit from being retained: • Does your child experience a lot of absences throughout the year? • Do you move frequently which requires your child to move schools often? • Does your child have a late birthday, which makes them almost a year different in age than the rest of their class? • Do you think they just need a little more time to fulfill academic or behavior expectations?

18. Final Message • Before you completely disregard having your child or student retained, remember that in many circumstances in education, each situation is unique and different and that the decision to retain a child depends on each child’s specific situation. • Not every child will benefit from retention, but keep an open mind that for some, retention works.

19. References Alexander, Karl L., Entwisle, Doris R., & Dauber, Susan L. (2003). On the success of failure: a reassessment of the effects of retention in the primary school grades: second edition. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. David, Jane .L. (2008). What research says about - grade retention. Educational Leadership, 65(6). Paciorek, Karen M. (2008). Taking sides: Clashing views in early childhood education. Boston, Massachusetts: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Powell, Pamela J. (2010). Repeating views of grade retention. Childhood Education, 87(2). Wu, Wei., West, Stephen G., & Hughes, Jan N. (2010). Effect of Grade Retention in 1st Grade on Psychosocial outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102 (1).