Grade Retention
From WikEd
[edit] Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
Grade retention refers to a student repeating a year in school because of the lack of academic success. It is also referred to as being held back, repeating a grade, and retention.
Grade level retention has been an accepted practice in American schools for over a century.(Lange)
[edit] Application in classrooms
Grade retention is used in schools and classrooms when a student fails to make significant progress in math, reading, or writing. It may also be considered when a student does not meet the expected level of performance necessary for promotion to the next grade or if the student seems "immature" or "young" for his or her age. Many schools use standardized tests to determine whether a student should be promoted to the next grade level. With the current high stakes testing, more and more students are facing the possibility of being retained.
Retention is often used in hopes of giving a student more time to learn subject matter, organization, behavior management, and study skills before moving on the next grade level. Proponents of grade retention also believe that this will send the message to students that poor perfomance and minimal effort will not be permitted. (Stump)
[edit] Evidence of effectiveness
There is little research to prove that retention is an effective practice.
"Retention can help sometimes, but early retention is harmful, and overall, retention is risky. Retention may help some students in some circumstances, but there are serious risks associated with it. Retaining students in first grade is surprisingly common and frequently harmful. Even the best-designed of recent studies that found in favor of retention in general also found that students retained in first grade do worse than expected, both academically and emotionally. There is also substantial evidence that retention in kindergarten is equally harmful. Being removed from a group of peers with whom a student has just gotten comfortable seems to compound the difficulty of adjusting to school and to set the child back rather than help." (Thompson)
[edit] Critics and their rationale
"The time for comparing the impact of grade level retention and social promotion has passed. The truth is that grade level retention produces no academic or social benefit for students, schools or the nation. The facts are clear. Grade level retention results in serious harm and destroys the academic future for most of its victims. At the same time simple social promotion is not an adequate response in itself. Little is gained if slower learning students and even faster learning students have their learning needs abandoned in exchange for limited grade level instruction that is either beyond them or below their level of academic achievement. It is time for focusing on student learning needs and providing students with opportunities to optimize learning, regardless of the level at which they have achieved." (Lange)
Grade level retention has been researched for many years and much of the research has found many negative affects of retention on the student. Many of these negative affects impact academic achievement, social adjustment and behavior, and the students post school life. Often any achievement gains made after retention fade within two years. Many of the students being retained are male, members of a minority ethnic group, born into a low income family, and have families that speak a language other than English at home. (Lange)
Much of the research shows that early intervention is the best way to prevent retention as students continue their schooling. With early intervention, students can be identified with different learning needs and be placed in programs that can assist them at the beginning of their school careers. Not all of the learning problems students will face will be identified at this time, but starting students off on the right foot will benefit them greatly throughout their years of schooling.
Along with early intervention, a support system of extended learning, summer school programs, and one-on-one tutoring can be great ways to support struggling students without using retention. (Levine)
According to the position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, "All children are welcomed - as they are - into heterogeneous kindergarten settings...they are not segregated into extra-year programs prior to or following regular kindergarten. Children placed in segregated programs often encounter lowered expectations, have fewer positive peer role models for success and confidence, and lack of access to regular curriculum. For all these reasons, their future progress tends to be more limited and many of them continue in the slow track throughout their schooling."
In the book, A Mind at a Time, author Mel Levin says that differentiation in instruction is needed for all students whether they have an IEP or not. He states, "I believe fervently that to treat all children the same way is to treat them unequally. Different kids have different learning needs; they have a right to have their needs met." If more of the education world could work together to meet students where they are at, retention would become unecessary.
[edit] Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
[edit] Signed “life experiences”, testimonies and stories
I currently have a student that is in my 7th grade class for the second year. This student has not worked any harder the second year. He is still on the verge of failing my class, and other classes, a second time. I do think that I have a much better relationship with this student this year, but I am struggling on how to turn this into the student getting better grades. I know this student has failed at things in the past and will continue to fail in the future. I am not sure that retaining a student is the best consequence for low grades, but I have not found better consequences. B. Moore
I have seen retention fail many students. I think it is time that schools realize that retention is not the answer and work to come up with solutions to assist these students in their learning. Retention is costly for school systems. If school systems stop retention and use the saved resources for academic support programs, it is very likely students would benefit much more. E. Kilroy
I agree that retention can have detrimental consequences for many students, especially those who are retained at later grades. I have experienced difficulty in working with students who were retained and I feel that retention ultimately did not benefit them. But how about kindergarten students who are retained? Many parents and teachers feel that some students will be better off if they repeat kindergarten year if they are late bloomers(?). I have seen in my own daughters' classrooms students who have been held back during kindergarten year and they are thriving just fine. Their parents chose to have them repeat preschool or kindergarten year because they were clearly not ready for first grade. Do these cases also fall under retention? A. Shin
The issue of retention at secondary levels also makes one question mandatory high school. There are hundreds of reasons that students fail in the first place, needing to make up the credit the following semester/year. Too, there are hundreds of ways that we can work with those students. I can't help but wonder, after visiting, attending, and working in schools around the world that do not have mandatory HS, if this option would benefit our students who don't have an interest in education vs. work. One of the problems with this idea, however, is the romantic idea that education offers everyone a way out. Sure some students may take Freshman English 4 times, but by forcing that student to stay in school and meet her obligations, she has learned a valuable lesson and may have a much better future that if she was allowed to pursue a career at the age of 15. I guess that as educators, we need to decide which is ultimately more likely? WIll more students stick it out and cherish Romeo and Juliet 4 times? Or would they be better off managing a Starbucks by the time they are 18? L. Azinger
I do not believe that retention is the solution for students especially at the upper grade levels.The resentment caused by the retention outweighs the benefits.The student needs help not to repeat a year.Learning styles are different for many students and their needs are often not met.Retention seems to be a negative response.The stigma of retention doesn't always help the student's social behavior.To me retention is not a productive eductional idea.A.Harty
The state of Illinois has made it mandatory that in order to graduate high school a student needs to pass Algebra One. This has had a lot of implications on the math program at my school. There are many new tutoring services and Algebra Support classes offered to help students get through this course. But even with these supports there are students who just don't care about school. It is frustrating for the teachers and parents who just want to get the student through the course. I don't know what the solution is. I do believe that skills learned in Algebra are life long skills. Although a person might not factor on a daily basis there is something to be said for understanding Algebra as a whole. I don't think we should just pass these students to get them through, I think we'd be doing them a disservice. -R. Fruin
In our district, a student can only be retained at the request of a parent. In other districts in which I have taught, a failing grade was sufficient. I had one principal who asked me to change a student's grade at the end of the year because he'd already been retained once in elementary school, and once in middle school (he was currently in 8th grade). However, he had produced little to no work for me, and I said I couldn't justify a passing grade. Instead, the principal altered the report card so that the student had a D- instead of an F so that he could be promoted.
Does retention help? According to the research, apparently not. However, how does the educational profession respond to critics for promoting students who cannot read? My husband, who is a community college counselor, sees students all the time with reading and math skills so low that they must take remedial classes before being allowed to take actual core classes. Our own children had higher reading and math skills in 2nd and 3rd grade than some of these college students have. How can we justify promoting students who don't even have these basic skills? --S. Sheahan
[edit] References and other links of interest
References
Lange, Rober R. The Truth about Grade Level Retention. http://www.fcarweb.org/grade_level_retention.htm
Levine, Melvin. A Mind at a Time. Simon & Schuster, New York. 2002.
Stump, Colleen. Grade Retention: The Great Debate. http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=315
Thompson, Charles L. - Cunningham, Elizabeth K. Retention and Social Promotion: Research and Implications for Policy. ERIC Digest Number 161. http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-3/policy.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_retention
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/atrisk/at800.htm
