The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of the affective consequences of grade retention and to uncover possible social and academic effects of grade retention on students’ subsequent elementary school experience. The participants were kindergarten through eighth grade students from a county in a rural area in Northeast Tennessee who had been retained for at least one year. A total of 36 students participated in the study, along with principals, school counselors, and teachers from each of the nine schools involved in the study. Information was collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews and the data were analyzed inductively using constant comparative analysis procedures. As a result of the analysis of student interview data, 10 areas of influence emerged related to students’ perceptions of the retention process. This evidence was further substantiated through extended conversations with principals, school counselors and teachers. The areas of influence were categorized into six thematic areas: Theme 1: Conditions of Acceptance; Theme 2: Importance of Timing in the Decision to Retain; Theme 3: Negative Consequences of Retention for Older Children; Theme 4: Lack of Preparation for the Retention; Theme 5: Inadequacy of Support Services After the Retention; Theme 6: Far-reaching Effects of Retention. Based on the findings, the investigator reached the following conclusions: (1) Regardless of their initial reaction to the retention decision, most students eventually accepted the decision. Parental involvement and support was wanted and needed. (2) Retention appeared to be an appropriate intervention for students whose problems stemmed from being chronologically and/or developmentally behind their classmates. (3) Retention appeared to be least appropriate for students who were dealing with behavior problems, learning disabilities, or other problems in their lives. (4) School personnel rarely prepared the child for the retention decision and rarely provided services to make sure the repeated year was successful. (5) Retained students socialized well with other students, but the retention process had negative effects on students’ self-esteem and attitude toward school. Due to the significant impact of making the wrong promotion/retention decision, grade retention should be researched from every possible angle. New approaches to curriculum development, school restructuring, and individualized student instruction should become the focus of efforts to improve student success, and “ensure that no child is left behind.”

This study examines primary grade retention as it is utilized in one suburban school district as an intervention for low achievement. Since as early as the late 1800's, educators have been struggling with the solution for students who do not demonstrate readiness for grade promotion. Grade retention is one of the practices that has been utilized in an effort to give students added time to prepare for the next grade level. This researcher collected and analyzed data on the experiences of a sample of six kindergarten, first, and second grade students who are repeating their respective grade level. The data for this qualitative study have been presented through classroom observations, parent and teacher interviews, and document review. The patterns that resulted from the data collection and analysis have provided insight into the factors that influence a student's experience with grade retention. This study explored the influential components of a primary grade retention program with recommendations for practical application in the field and future research in this area. / Educational Administration

The research was directed at developing guidelines for counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners. The supposition of the study was that retained middle childhood learners require support in accepting the retention. For the purpose of this study a qualitative research approach with an exploratory and descriptive nature was used. The intervention research model of Rothman and Thomas (1994) was applied. A combination of Gestalt philosophical principles, existing literature and semi-structured interviews with educators, educational psychologists and middle childhood learners with experience of grade retention were used to develop guidelines. The researcher concluded that retained middle childhood learners require support in the process of accepting the grade retention. Counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners lack knowledge on how to support the retained child. Guidelines for counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners were developed to successfully address the lack of knowledge in the field. / Social Work / (M.Diac.(Play Therapy))

The research was directed at developing guidelines for counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners. The supposition of the study was that retained middle childhood learners require support in accepting the retention. For the purpose of this study a qualitative research approach with an exploratory and descriptive nature was used. The intervention research model of Rothman and Thomas (1994) was applied. A combination of Gestalt philosophical principles, existing literature and semi-structured interviews with educators, educational psychologists and middle childhood learners with experience of grade retention were used to develop guidelines. The researcher concluded that retained middle childhood learners require support in the process of accepting the grade retention. Counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners lack knowledge on how to support the retained child. Guidelines for counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners were developed to successfully address the lack of knowledge in the field. / Social Work / (M.Diac.(Play Therapy))

Public education in the United States is currently enveloped in an era of intense accountability. At the national level the No Child Left Behind Act, demands accountability in any district or school receiving federal funds One of the goals of the No Child Left Behind legislation had its roots in the Texas education accountability statute of 1999, when former governor George W. Bush signed into law a mandate that became known as the Student Success Initiative. That law required students in the 3rd grade to pass the state reading assessment in order to be promoted to the 4th grade, beginning in the year 2003. The same group of students would be required to pass their 5th and 8th grade reading and math exams to be promoted to the next grade level. The initiative continued for all students. In opposition to the those policies, the body of research regarding grade-level retention concludes that the practice of grade retention is ineffective in increasingstudent achievement (Jimerson, 2001, Harness, 1984, McCoy, 1999). This study examined the Student Success Initiative in Texas. The goal was to determine whether retention in 3rd, 5th, or 8th grade made a signification difference in subsequent TAKS scores in comparison with students who were placed in the next grade level by the official Grade Placement Committee. Data was analyzed from three large urban school districts in Texas. Results were consistent across the three school districts. Students who were retained in third grade performed better the subsequent year in third grade, but those successes did not continue consistently through the 5th and 8th grade years. Students retained in 5th grade for math performed poorly on subsequent tests, as did students retained in the 8th grade for reading or math. However, the group of students that was retained in 5th grade due to failure of the TAKS Reading test exhibited success in the subsequent year as well as the 8th grade year. Overall, TAKS students who were retained did not perform better than students who were placed in the next grade level as they progressed through 8th grade. / text

This dissertation explored the factors associated with dropping out of middle school and high school among Hispanic/Latino male students. Predictor variables investigated were: age, home language, retention history, SES, program of studies, suspensions, and GPA. Data were from a large urban school district in the state of Florida. A sample of 865 Hispanic/Latino male Latino students in the 8th grade in 1995-96 was followed longitudinally every year to the year 2000-01. Survival analysis and logistic regression were used to examine the data. The research questions were: 1) What is the relation between age, home language, retention history, SES, program of studies, suspensions, and GPA and dropping out of middle and secondary school by Hispanic/Latino males? 2) At what grade levels do the predictor variables begin to affect the male Hispanic/ Latino students' propensity for early school leaving? When are they at greatest risk? Of the predictor variables included in this research, age, retention history, program of studies, suspension, and GPA, were found to be statistically significant in the students' decision to drop out of school. This research also found that approximately 31% of this Hispanic/Latino male sample dropped out prior to completing their high school education during the 5-year span. Investigating the most hazardous time for dropping out of school, results suggested that for these students it is well into their secondary education, very close to when they would actually graduate, during their junior to senior years. It may be the time close to their eighteenth birthday that lets them legally choose to leave school that triggers this hazardous time period.

This study was undertaken in order to assess the effects of elementary school grade retention on the academic achievement of pupils. For each analysis in the study, norm-referenced standardized achievement tests were used as the dependent variable. Percentile rank score means in reading, language, and mathematics served as achievement indicators.

Research suggests that how teachers perceive the behavior of individual children in the early years of elementary school has important implications for the school success of those youth over time (Darney et al., 2013; Hibel et al., 2010; Jimerson et al., 1997; Reinke et al., 2008). This may be because children who are of concern to teachers are often identified for practices such as grade retention and/or special education placement. Although these practices are intended to help children, they have not been shown to be associated with long-term positive outcomes. Rather, youth who are subject to these practices experience negative outcomes more often than their peers, including lower academic achievement, higher rates of exclusionary discipline, and lower rates of high school graduation (Darney et al., 2013; Sullivan & Bal, 2013; Stearns et al., 2007). From an educational equity standpoint, it is important to understand how early elementary teacher concerns are related to outcomes over time for children from different demographic groups. It may be that teacher concerns regarding behavior for some children (e.g., boys, children from minority backgrounds, poor children) are more likely to lead to educational practices (e.g., special education, retention) that have been associated with poor outcomes for youth. The purpose of the current study was to examine how early elementary teacher behavior ratings were related to long-term outcomes for youth and whether those relationships were similar for youth of different races, gender, and socioeconomic statuses (SES). Three research questions were posed: (1) Do teacher behavior ratings in kindergarten and first grade predict special education placement and/or grade retention by fifth grade and/or school suspension by eighth grade? (2) To what extent are the relationships between these variables moderated by student gender, race, and/or SES? (3) To what extent are special education placement, grade retention, and school suspension related to each other? Archival data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort of 1998 (ECLS-K) were used to answer these questions. Results showed that teacher perceptions of behavior problems in early elementary school significantly predicted all three aforementioned outcomes. Of the various teacher-perceived behavior problems measured, approaches to learning (e.g., paying attention, being organized) was the most predictive. Black students with teacher-perceived weak approaches to learning were at higher risk than their White peers with weak approaches to learning for being retained and suspended. Additionally, female students with perceived weak approaches to learning were more likely to be retained than their male peers with weak approaches to learning. Special education, grade retention, and school suspension outcomes were weakly correlated with each other. The weak correlations among these outcomes suggests that youth who are perceived to be behaviorally at risk can potentially be on different paths that lead them to experience different long-term outcomes. Implications for educators, researchers, and policymakers are discussed.

A significant amount of adolescents are involved in the drug court system. Within a few of the systems are mental health clinics providing more specific services to youth introduced into the courts. At the Rhode Island Family Court, juveniles are referred for full mental health evaluations in the court mental health clinic. They are then referred for other services depending on the outcome of the evaluation. The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive analysis of the drug use of these youth referred to the mental health clinic. Because little is known about the about the affects of a substance use disorder diagnosis on incarceration and grade repetition, an analysis was done to determine if any associations were present. After accounting for mental health diagnosis and demographic variables, an association between substance use disorder and incarceration within 3 months of the mental health evaluation was found. There was no significant association between a substance use disorder diagnosis and grade repetition in school.

The hope of educators is that children will obtain a strong educational foundation that will lead to life-long learning and a bright future. However, several factors may play a role in hindering a successful outcome. Addressing the at-risk indicators of excessive absences, discipline referrals, socioeconomic status, disability status, early grade retention, and family composition gives insight into struggles students face. Looking at 6 research questions, an independent sample t test was used to determine the difference in students who had excessive absences and discipline referrals in relation to school success. A chi-square analysis was used to identify the relationship between socioeconomic status, disability status, family composition, early grade retention, and school success. Results of the study suggested that there was a significant negative relationship between school success and poor attendance and with discipline referrals. Socioeconomic status was not significant when looking at school success. The study showed that students eligible for free and reduced price meals program had nearly the same chance for school success as students who were not eligible for free and reduced price meals program. Disability status and grade retention were not significant factors in school success. Students who lived in a nontraditional family were not at risk for school failure.