"Grade Retention"

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the idea of grade retention, a concept designed to improve the standard of education in the USA. The paper focuses on the state of Florida, which has implemented the grade retention system. According to the paper, students in Florida can now be kept back to repeat a year, rather than be promoted on the basis of 'social promotion' instead of academic readiness.

From the Paper:

"The rules for determining promotion between the third and forth grade in Florida are based largely on the students' performance on state standardized tests. (Reid) According to the Department of Education, Florida law now says that third graders that score low on the FCAT standardized test "must be retained, unless there is other information that indicates these students can read independently." (The New Department of Education) The tests are the key factor in the decision, however under certain circumstances parents can appeal decisions based on the test, however the appeal procedures and qualifying for promotion based on other means can be a difficult process. If a student performs poorly on the FCAT test, the teacher must be the one to create a portfolio of the child's work to demonstrate the ability to meet minimum performance standards. Unfortunately, convincing teachers and administrators to create such a portfolio may be difficult for parents, and virtually impossible for students without actively involved parental support. According to Mark Pudlow of the Florida Education Association, "Few educators considered portfolios to be a viable option...Only a small percentage of students are expected to be promoted based on their portfolio work." (Reid) In order to qualify for advancement to the next grade level without a passing FCAT score, a "good cause exemption" must be given. Students may qualify for a good cause exemption if the student speaks a limited amount of English, if the student has a disability and it is determined that it is not appropriate for the student to take the FCAT test, if the student can pass an alternate reading test called the SAT-9, if the student has been retained previously under special circumstances, or if the aforementioned portfolio is assembled and considered adequate. (The New Department of Education)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cavanaugh, S. (2005, January 5) Report Roundup: Retention Research. Edweek.
• Hendrie, C. (1998, April 29) Plans in Houston and N.Y.C. Would Tighten Promotion Rules. Edweek.
• Neill, M. (1990) Let's Cut Back on Standardized Testing. Mothering, Winter. Retrieved April, 2006 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0838/is_n54/ai_8283181
• The New Department of Education. (2003) Read to Learn: Critical Information for Third Grade Parents. Brochure. http://www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/progress/promo-qa.pdf
• Reid, K. S. (2003, September 3) Fla., Texas Retain 3rd Graders With Poor Reading Scores. Edweek. Vol. 23, Issue 1, Page 25.

More papers on "Grade Retention":

• Term Paper # 121842 : "Impact of Early Grade Retention"
• Essay # 86317 : "A Critique of Witmer et al (2004) on Grade Retention"
• Research Proposal # 26100 : "Retention at the Third Grade Level"

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