Is retention good for kids?

Answer: Yes. Several recent studies have found that retention in elementary school can be beneficial for students in improving middle school outcomes when the students most likely to benefit are identified and retention is paired with appropriate instructional supports.

Is it good to retain a child?

Some teachers and parents believe that appropriate placement encompasses retention and that certain children will benefit from the maturity gained from an extra year in the same grade. However, cumulative research on the effects of retention shows that the negative effects usually outweigh the positive effects.

Is retention positive for students?

Retaining students based on reading proficiency can produce large improvements in academic performance when compared to grade-level peers. Retention is not an academic death sentence. In fact, it can lead to better preparation when entering high school.

Is retention a good idea?

A national study found long-term benefits from retention in early grades. Students who went to school in a state with higher retention rates ended up earning slightly higher wages as adults (by 0.7%). But the incentive effect of retention may not be all good.

What are the benefits of retention in kindergarten?

Compared to similar children who were promoted but who were retained in first grade instead, kindergarten repeaters are found to benefit more from retention with respect to higher levels of well-being, self-confidence, attitude to work and independent behaviour, and lower levels of hyperactivity.”

Is Holding Back Your Child Fair?

What are the negative effects of retention?

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.

What are the cons of school retention?

Grade retention has a negative impact on all areas of a child's achievement (reading, math, and language) and social-emotional adjustment (peer relationships, self-esteem, problem behaviors and attendance).

What grade do most kids get held back?

Who Gets Held Back, and Why? 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.

What are the disadvantages of holding a child back from kindergarten?

A large body of research has indicated that holding a child back in school is associated with poorer academic outcomes and little social-emotional benefit. While some studies have found short-term social and academic benefits of grade retention, many of these effects fade after a few years.

Should I hold my child back a grade?

Kenow, a special education teacher and IEP coach, feels that holding a child back a grade must be considered on a case-by-case basis. “Children do not all develop at the same rate. To expect that all children, no matter their developmental level, can learn the same material at the same rate is unrealistic.

Is retention bad for students?

Although some retained students do better at first, these children often fall behind again in later grades. Retention is one of the most powerful predictors of high school dropout; holding a child back twice makes dropping out of school 90% certain.

How many kids get held back a year?

Nearly 450,000 first through eighth graders are retained each year.

Is retention positive or negative?

Although most educational and psychological research confirms that grade retention is rarely a positive intervention, there are some children that do better if they are retained. For these students, retention is both necessary and beneficial.

Can a parent say no to retention?

According to this regulation, “a school can retain or promote a student without parent or guardian approval.” It also says the district's school board must provide an appeal process for parents who disagree with the school's promotion or retention decision for their student.

Is it OK to repeat a grade?

Ideally, no. Repeating a grade―also known as "grade retention" ―has not been shown to help children learn. Children won't outgrow learning and attention issues by repeating a grade. In fact, repeating a grade may contribute to long-term issues with low self-esteem, as well as emotional or social difficulties.

What is retention for kids?

Retention, also known as redshirting, is the practice of having a student repeat a grade so that he or she can work on the academic skills needed to advance to the next level.

Should I hold my 5 year old back from kindergarten?

Experts say delaying kindergarten may benefit kids in certain circumstances, but there are also downsides. March 7, 2023, at 11:49 a.m. Experts say that delaying kindergarten – a practice known as “redshirting” – may benefit kids in certain circumstances, but caution that there are also disadvantages to waiting.

What percentage of kindergarteners are held back?

For those years, 3,201 kindergarten students were retained, or 4% of the total; in first grade, 1,494 students were retained, or 1.9% of the total. In actual student numbers, those held back increased 36% in 2021-22 for first grade (up 547 students) and 13.9% for kindergarten (up 445 students).

Should I hold back my kindergartner?

Recent research shows that, for the most part, holding kids back a grade isn't the best practice. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) reports that some kids do better in school the first year or two after being held back. But it also says that this effect doesn't last.

Is it better to hold a child back in kindergarten or first grade?

The data also suggests that in spite of having all these resources and manpower, kids who repeat kindergarten don't do as well as their first or second grade classmates once they make it into those grades. In one study, researchers associated this poor academic performance with repeating kindergarten.

Why don t kids get held back anymore?

Retaining students, regardless of the grade at which they are retained, increases the likelihood that they will drop out of school. Consistent with the Chicago findings, the advantage for retained students declined each year and disappeared altogether after three years.

Why don't they hold kids back anymore?

Some educators and researchers believe that holding a student back can have negative effects on their self-esteem and motivation. Instead, schools may implement interventions such as extra tutoring, individualized education plans, or other support services to help struggling students catch up to their peers.

Is grade retention ineffective?

Research over- whelmingly indicates that grade reten- tion is an ineffective, and possibly harmful, intervention. Therefore, staff training should emphasize evidence- based, alternative interventions that promote student academic and socio- emotional success.

Why is grade retention bad?

Here are a few studies. In 1984, Holmes and Matthews found that retained students showed lower academic achievement, poorer personal adjustment, and lower self-concept. In addition, they found that in all cases, the outcomes for students promoted were more positive than for those who were retained.

Can you move up a grade after being held back?

It can happen and occasionally does. Sometimes a student is retained for one reason or another and then gets up to speed and they are at the level of the next grade level. So they will bump the student back up a grade if the school and parents agree upon it.