How do you tell your child they have to repeat a grade?

I would present it as a common occurrence, and no big deal. I might even lie and say that I, too repeated a grade, or that lots of my friends did. I'd imply that grade-repeating is done for benign reasons like “getting extra practice” or “getting to be really amazing at the stuff they're teaching.”

How do you tell your kid they have to repeat a grade?

Talk to your child about the decision.

Telling your child that he or she needs to repeat a grade is never easy. It's best to have this conversation in a private, comfortable space that is free from distractions and any other siblings or friends.

Can a school force a child to repeat a grade?

Most often, schools consider holding students back if they haven't developed the academic skills necessary to succeed in the next grade. In fact, some states have passed “third-grade retention laws,” that require third-grade students who can't read at a certain level must be retained and repeat the grade.

What are reasons to repeat a grade?

Reasons for grade retention

It may be considered when a child: Has significant struggles making progress in reading, writing or math. Fails to reach performance levels expected for promotion to the next grade. Appears to be “immature” and “young” for their age.

How do you talk to a child about being held back a grade?

Getting held back is not a reflection of intellect. Your child is not “stupid” because they need to repeat a grade. Make this apparent with every discussion. Each child learns and grows at their own pace.

Should Your Child Repeat A Year Or Change School?

What grade do most kids get held back?

Most retentions occur in elementary school. Historically, roughly 5 percent of students in the first through the third grade repeated their grade, according to Child Trends.

Why repeating a grade is bad?

High-profile meta-analyses based on these studies concluded that grade retention was associated with poorer academic outcomes (including higher dropout rates) and greater risk of behavioral issues.

How do you know if your child should be held back?

What percentage of students repeat a grade?

Seven percent of U.S. kids between age 6 and 17 had repeated a grade. In 2015–2016, 7% of U.S. kids between the ages of 6 and 17 — 3. 4 million children total — had repeated one or more grades since starting kindergarten. The likelihood that students are held back varies by location.

Is it beneficial to hold a child back a grade?

1. Students who are held back experience negative academic, social, and emotional outcomes over time. In general, students who are retained score better on math and English standardized tests during the year they repeat a grade and sometimes up to four years after.

Can a parent say no to retention?

Yes, a school can retain or promote a student without parent or guardian approval. However, the district PPR policy approved by the district's school board must provide an appeal process for parents who disagree with a principal's promotion or retention decision for their student.

Why students should never be forced to repeat a year at school?

Unfortunately, forcing a child to repeat a grade typically causes more problems than it solves. Students who have been required to repeat a grade are more likely to have confidence issues and social issues moving forward. They're far more likely to give up on school or even drop out altogether.

Can my parents make me repeat a grade?

Generally, parents can ask for children to be held back, but the final decision is up to principals, who make decisions based on factors including academic progress. California and New Jersey also passed laws that made it easier for parents to demand their children repeat a grade, although the option was only available ...

What grade is best to repeat?

The simple answer is… as early as possible. Repeating kindergarten or preschool is a lot less stressful for a child than repeating a class in primary school. Repeating a grade in elementary/primary is much less stressful than repeating in the higher grades.

Does repeating a grade look bad to colleges?

For the most part, colleges don't mind if you repeat a grade or have to take a year off in high school, but the answer could depend on the colleges you're interested in. For more competitive colleges, the admissions team is going to be stricter about who they let attend their school and may have different standards.

What are the benefits of grade retention?

Retained students have an additional year of school and are a year older than the non-retained kids when they take a grade-level test. That means that age, natural development, and more time in class might explain the higher scores. That is part of the idea behind retention: giving students extra time to learn.

Does retention help struggling students?

Evidence suggests that grade retention in middle or high school typically leads to worse educational outcomes, with little or no effect on academic achievement and higher levels of student disengagement.

What are the negative effects of retaining students?

Critics of retention contend that students are actually harmed by the trauma of being held back, the challenge of adjusting to a new peer group, and reduced expectations for their academic performance on the part of teachers and parents.

What are the long term effects of grade retention?

Critics contend that retention detaches students from their peers and subjects them to social stigmatization and stress, which might negatively affect self-confidence, motivation, and interpersonal relationships (Anderson et al., 2005; Goos et al., 2021).

Who decides if a kid gets held back?

Contrary to popular belief, the decision to hold a student back in elementary school is not solely based on their performance on standardized tests. While test scores may be taken into consideration, the final decision is often made by a collaborative effort between teachers, parents, and school administrators.

What are the behavior problems of a second grader?

Second graders have a propensity to worry. They can fret about nightmares, the dark, their clothes, their homework, or their stomach aches that might — in their agitated minds — be a lethal disease. They hate making mistakes, not finishing tasks, and especially losing.

Who has been held back the most in school?

In some cases, the consequences of retention affect students of color more than their white peers, too. One recent study found that being held back in elementary grades increases the odds of dropping out of high school, and that these effects were strongest for Black and Latino girls.

Is it shameful to repeat a grade?

Being held back does not mean that you are stupid or a bad student. It simply means that you need some more time to reach the benchmarks of that specific grade. Remember that your parents and teachers decided to hold you back because they want what's best for you, not because they want to punish you.

Do you have to repeat a grade if you fail?

If you failed just one or two classes, chances are you'll just have to retake the class over summer or the following year, however you'll still be passing on to the next grade. So, you'll most likely end up being an upperclassman in a underclassman class.

How many times can a child repeat the same grade?

This will depend on each State, or education rules for private schools. Assuming a student must meet certain minimum criteria to move to the next grade, then there shouldn't be a maximum number. Until the student meets the criteria the student is held back.