THE EFFECTS OF EARLY VERSUS LATER GRADE RETENTION ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract

In an era of increased accountability for student learning, administrators and teachers are forced to address the needs of struggling students. Grade retention is used as a practice to help low-performing students overcome their academic deficits. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of grade retention on student achievement. The goal of this study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in the growth performance scores and EVAAS predicted scores of sixth grade students retained in early grades first through third as compared to students retained in later grades fourth through sixth utilizing the NC End-of-Grade Tests in reading and mathematics. Separate Fisher's exact tests for reading and mathematics were used to determine the frequency of distribution of student growth performance scores in these subjects as measured by the within and/or above expectations versus below expectations categories from the NC ABCs model to compare early retainees and later retainees to see if the relationship of performance to category of retention differed more than expected by chance. Also, separate Fisher's exact tests for reading and mathematics were conducted to examine the frequency of distribution of student growth scores in these subjects as measured by the below expectation versus within or above expectations categories from the EVAAS predicted scores to compared early retainees and later retainees to see if the relationship of performance to category of retention differed more than expected by chance. According to these findings in this study, when examining academic change scores for reading and mathematics a significant relationship does not exist between the growth performance of early and later retainees. When examining EVAAS predicated scores, it was also indicated that a significant relationship does not exist between the growth performance of early and later retainees. However, the data did indicate that a higher percentage of later retainees met and/or scored above expectations in reading when compared to the early retainees.