Should you retain your child in school?

Research shows that retention isn't the best plan for most kids. Academics are only one thing to think about when considering retention. You can talk to your child's school about all the options before making a decision.

Is grade retention harmful to children?

The long-run effects of early grade retention are not clear.

Multiple studies have found that holding back middle schoolers increases their odds of dropping out of high school. “The evidence on retaining students in the later grades — I think that's unambiguously negative,” said Winters.

Is retaining a student a good idea?

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 better to hold your child back in school?

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.

Is Holding Back Your Child Fair?

What are the risks of retention in school?

Students who are held back tend to get into trouble, dislike school, and feel badly about themselves more often than children who go on to the next grade. The weakened self-esteem that usually accompanies retention plays a role in how well the child may cope in the future.

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.

What are the negative effects of retention?

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.

What are the benefits of retention in school?

They found that retention in third grade had large positive effects on reading and math achievement in the short run. Although these initial benefits faded over time, students who had been held back entered high school performing at a higher level relative to their grade level than similar students who'd been promoted.

Why do parents hold their kids back in school?

This practice, called academic redshirting , is intended to give students another year to mature emotionally, academically, or physically before starting kindergarten. Experts said it's become increasingly popular among upper middle class, college-educated parents .

Can I hold my child back a year at school?

It's a mutual decision. But in the other grades, parents have the right to request retention, but if the school or the district don't agree to it, that wouldn't happen. Parents cannot just request retention for their kids on their own.

How many kids get held back a year?

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

Does retention in school work?

In sum, the research is clear that retaining students is not associated with positive outcomes and may lead to negative academic and non-academic outcomes in the long run.

Why students should not be retained?

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).

Why students should not be held back?

Critics of grade retention point out that it's expensive for schools to educate kids for an additional year. Some studies also show that holding students back may increase their likelihood of being bullied or dropping out. Those concerns are worth taking seriously.

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.

Does retention help struggling learners?

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.

Should my child 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 does it mean to retain a child in school?

Grade retention, also called repeating a grade, is the act of placing a student in the same grade for a second 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.

Is retention good or bad?

Often, this results in punishing children for not learning what they have not been taught or taught well. The research is very clear: the effects of retention are harmful. As early as the 1930s, studies reported the negative effects of retention on academic achievement.

What is an example of poor retention?

In a class setting for example, a student who often puts up their hand but forgets the answer the moment the teacher picks them, answers before raising their hand, cannot follow simple instructions, or always seems absentminded is likely to have low retention.

Can you hold your child back a year in school UK?

If your child was born between 1 April and 31 August then it is usual for them to start school in the September following their 4th birthday. However you can have them attend part-time, or postpone their start until later in the year or for a full year until the September following their 5th birthday.

Is retaining students in the early grades self defeating?

He found that retained students had significantly lower scores in self-efficacy, task orientation, valuing of school, persistence, enjoyment of school, class participation, school attendance and performance, and higher scores in failure avoidance and disengagement.

Should I retain my child with dyslexia?

In conclusion, based on the research presented in these few articles, addressing your child's academic struggles and getting the proper interventions and accommodations is the proper solution. Holding back a child with a learning issue in the same grade another year will not benefit them.