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GRADE RETENTION AND PROMOTION: …

S3 65 Helping Children at Home and School II: Handouts for Families and EducatorsGRADE RETENTION AND PROMOTION: information FOR parents By Shane R. Jimerson, PhD, NCSP, Sarah M. Woehr, & Amber M. Kaufman, MA University of California, Santa Barbara GRADE RETENTION , also known as non- promotion , flunking, failing, being held back, or the gift of time,refers to a child repeating his or her current GRADE level again the following year. Whether used toaddress low performance and/or behavior problems, research generally has not found favorableachievement or adjustment outcomes for students who are , RETENTION rates have been rising. This trend appears to be heavily influenced by therecent reform movement emphasizing national or state-wide educational GRADE -level standards andaccountability (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) and the accompanying GRADE -level tests todetermine which students are promoted to the next GRADE . Whatever the reason, if RETENTION is suggested for your child, it is vital that you as a parent makesure you know what options are available and are involved in making decisions about his or hereducation.

Helping Children at Home and School II: Handouts for Families and Educators S3–65 GRADE RETENTION AND PROMOTION: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS By Shane R. Jimerson, PhD, NCSP, Sarah M. Woehr, & Amber M. Kaufman, MA

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1 S3 65 Helping Children at Home and School II: Handouts for Families and EducatorsGRADE RETENTION AND PROMOTION: information FOR parents By Shane R. Jimerson, PhD, NCSP, Sarah M. Woehr, & Amber M. Kaufman, MA University of California, Santa Barbara GRADE RETENTION , also known as non- promotion , flunking, failing, being held back, or the gift of time,refers to a child repeating his or her current GRADE level again the following year. Whether used toaddress low performance and/or behavior problems, research generally has not found favorableachievement or adjustment outcomes for students who are , RETENTION rates have been rising. This trend appears to be heavily influenced by therecent reform movement emphasizing national or state-wide educational GRADE -level standards andaccountability (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) and the accompanying GRADE -level tests todetermine which students are promoted to the next GRADE . Whatever the reason, if RETENTION is suggested for your child, it is vital that you as a parent makesure you know what options are available and are involved in making decisions about his or hereducation.

2 By working together, parents and educators can discuss and identify specific strategies tohelp ensure the educational success of your child. The RETENTION DilemmaSometimes children are recommended for RETENTION when their academic performance is low or ifthey fail to meet GRADE -level performance standards established by the district or state. Some childrenmay be recommended for RETENTION if they seem socially immature, display behavior problems, or arejust beginning to learn English. Occasionally, students who have missed many school days because theywere ill or because of frequent moves are recommended for RETENTION . Research indicates that neithergrade RETENTION nor social promotion (the practice of promotingstudents with their same age-peers although they have not mastered current GRADE level content) islikely to enhance a child s learning. Research and common sense both indicate that simply having achild repeat a GRADE is unlikely to address the problems a child is experiencing.

3 Likewise, simplypromoting a student who is experiencing academic or behavioral problems to the next GRADE withoutadditional support is not likely to be an effective solution either. When faced with a recommendation to retain a child, the real task is not to decide to retain or not toretain but, rather, to identify specific intervention strategies to enhance the cognitive and socialdevelopment of the child and promote his or her learning and success at school. Given the evidence indicating that GRADE RETENTION , when compared with social promotion of similarchildren, is an ineffective and possibly harmful intervention, promotion plus ( , combining gradepromotion and effective, evidence-based interventions) is most likely to benefit children with lowachievement or behavior problems. Too often, anecdotal evidence, clinical experience, and folklore overshadow the results of empiricalresearch. But what does research show? Is RETENTION effective? The following information , taken fromresearch during the last 100 years, can help parents better understand the possible effects of retentionon their child and advocate for effective intervention of GRADE body of research on RETENTION indicates that: Initial academic improvements may occur during the year the student is retained.

4 However, manyresearch studies show that achievement gains declinewithin 2 3 years of RETENTION . This means thatover time, children who were retained either do not show higher achievement, or sometimes showlower achievement than similar groups of children who were not retained. Without specificinterventions, most retained students do not catch up. In adolescence, retained students are more likely toexperience problemssuch as poor interactions withpeers, disliking school, behavior problems, andlower self-esteem. Students who were retained are 5 11 times morelikely to drop out of school. The probability is evenhigher for students who are retained more thanonce. Actually, GRADE RETENTION is one of the mostpowerful predictors of high school drop out. For most students, GRADE RETENTION had a negativeimpact on all areasof achievement ( , reading,math, and oral and written language) and social andemotional adjustment ( , peer relationships, self-esteem, problem behaviors, and attendance).

5 A study of sixth graders perceptions indicated thatthey consider RETENTION as one of the most stressfullife events. RETENTION may helpstudents who have missedmany days of school, but only if their attendanceimproves and if the child will not be considerablyolder than the other students. At this time, however,there are no specific indicatorsthat predict whichchildren could benefit from , research doesprovide evidence that supports the effectiveness ofother educational interventions. The following areevidence-based alternatives to GRADE RETENTION andsocial promotion that better address academic andbehavior problems: Parental involvement in children s schools andeducation through frequent contact with teachers,supervision of homework, and ongoingcommunication about school activities. Age-appropriate and culturally sensitiveinstructional strategies to accelerate progress in allclassrooms. Early developmental programs and preschoolprograms to enhance language and social skills.

6 Systematic methods to monitor progress, identifystrengths and weaknesses, and identify the mosteffective methods of instruction. Early reading programs; that is, many low performingstudents have reading problems, and it has beenfound that developmentally appropriate, intensive,direct instruction strategies have been effective inpromoting reading skills of at-risk students. School-based mental health programs to promotethe social and emotional adjustment of children; forinstance, addressing behavior problems has beenfound to be effective in improving academicperformance. Student support teams with appropriateprofessionals to assess and identify specificlearning or behavior problems, design interventionsto address those problems, and evaluate theefficacy of those interventions. Behavior management and cognitive-behaviormodification strategies to reduce classroombehavior problems that interfere with learning. Extended year, extended day, and summer schoolprograms that focus on improving the developmentof academic skills.

7 Tutoring and mentoring programs with peer, cross-age, or adult tutors who focus on promoting specificacademic or social skills. Comprehensive school-wide programs to promotethe social and academic skills of all their diverse needs, there is no singleintervention that will effectively address the specificneeds of low achieving students. Rather, systematicevidence-based interventions should be selected tofacilitate the academic and socio-emotionaldevelopment of students at risk of school parents Can Do to HelpParents know their children well and can providemuch needed insight into their children s , it is important for parents , teachers, andother educational professionals to work out about school problems early can helpparents and teachers to collaborate to spare children thefeelings of failure. Addressing problems early improveschances for success. parents can help by: Discussing concerns as they arise with the is important to know what assignments your childis expected to do and what type of work is difficultfor your child to understand and complete.

8 Asking your child s teacher what help is beingprovided to your child and what you can do at hometo help him or her succeed. Helping your child with homework by asking to seehis or her assignments and creating a quiet timeand place to study. Making sure your child is rested and ready for schooleach day. It is important that your child gets plentyof sleep, eats a nutritious breakfast, comes to schoolon time, and receives appropriate medical to Get More HelpWhile it can be frustrating if your child is havingproblems at school, there are many people who canhelp. Although RETENTION may appear to be the simpleS3 66 GRADE RETENTION and promotion : information for parents S3 67 Helping Children at Home and School II: Handouts for Families and Educatorsanswer, professionals at your child s school can give youand the child s teacher some effective alternatives to helpyour child do better. They may also suggest conductingevaluations to find out what specific strengths andweaknesses your child has, how he or she best learns,and if he or she may benefit from special education.

9 Youcan also contact people at school who can work with yourchild if he or she is experiencing academic and/or socialproblems, including the school psychologist, socialworker, counselor, reading specialist, school nurse,special education team, or , RETENTION may be more commonplacetoday, but there is no evidence that it is , there are many other alternatives to helpingchildren who are experiencing difficulties in school. Byasking questions and working collaboratively withschool personnel, you can help your child , B., Ysseldyke, J. E., & Elliot, J. (2002).Strategies and tactics for effective , CO: Sopris West. ISBN: , L. (1993). Homework without tears. New York:HarperPerennial. ISBN: , S. R. (2001). Meta-analysis of GRADE retentionresearch: Implications for practice in the 21stcentury. School Psychology Review, 30, 420 , S. R., Anderson, G., & Whipple, A. (2002).Winning the battle and losing the war: Examiningthe relation between GRADE RETENTION and droppingout of high school.

10 Psychology in the Schools, 39,441 457 Jimerson, S. R., & Kaufman, A. M. (2003). Reading,writing, and RETENTION : A primer on GRADE retentionresearch. The Reading Teacher, 56, 622 , S. (1996).Dr. Sylvia Rimm s smart parenting: Howto raise a happy, achieving York: : National Association of School Psychologists GRADE RETENTION and Social promotion R. Jimerson, PhD, NCSP, is on the faculty of theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara. Sarah M. Woehr andAmber M. Kaufman, MA, are graduate students at UCSB. Theauthors would like to acknowledge the contributions ofAndrea Canter, Karen Carey, and Peg Dawson in generatingthe previous versions of this handout. 2004 National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) National Association of SchoolPsychologists (NASP) offers a widevariety of free or low cost onlineresources to parents , teachers, and othersworking with children and youth throughthe NASP website the NASP Center for Children & Families use the direct links below toaccess information that can help you improve outcomesfor the children and youth in your care.


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