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Key Findings

1. The study, which examined the long-term causal effects of retention in grades 3 through 8, found no evidence of systematic effects on attendance and suspensions.
2. Grade retention reduced credit accumulation in high school.
3. There was no evidence that retention improved high school persistence and attainment. Retained middle school students were more likely to drop out very late in high school and less likely to meet graduation requirements.
4. Retention in earlier grades appears to be relatively less likely to produce disadvantageous outcomes.

Test-based grade promotion and retention policies have been put into place by 17 states and numerous school districts in the past 20 years. These policies require students to repeat a grade if they do not meet a minimum academic performance level. There is much controversy surrounding grade retention polices. Advocates reason that having low-performing students repeat a grade will provide them with more instruction and time to develop the grade-level academic skills necessary for success in later grades. Critics point to a large body of 20th-century research showing that grade retention is associated with increased behavioral problems and higher high school dropout rates.