There are some issues, like the loss of recess and retention of third graders, that make no sense at all. I can sometimes understand mistakes, attribute them to people being clueless, but when it comes to retention the research is there. Anyone who knows how to read and puts some time into it will learn there is no point in using retention. It’s harmful to children.
Following Michigan, the education news the last few days has been like riding a roller coaster.
The good news:
Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley is leading a special education task force and the wonderful Marcie Lipsitt who has been a tireless advocate for the rights of students with disabilities was one of the people selected to serve. That’s wonderful news!
But it doesn’t make sense that Michigan legislators turn around and pass a bill to retain their third graders who have difficulty reading. The bill also calls for literacy coaches to assist students when they have difficulties, but is there any reason that can’t do that without retaining the children with reading difficulties?
While many of us keep hoping for the day that Florida and other states will quit using retention, now Michigan sees it has a reform that they must apply. And am I right in saying that parents have no say in this decision?
This is a post I already wrote along with other solutions that can be used instead of retention. What’s the point of rewriting it? I hope Michigan reconsiders. Or I hope school administrators, teachers, and parents ignore it. And I hope I never find the need to post this again.
Also, I include the excellent information about how to fight mandatory retention by Suzanne Whitney, a research editor for Wrightslaw. This is a special education issue and I hope the newly formed Michigan task force takes it on.
And below I cite a report by the National Association of School Psychologists which can be found on Google as a PDF file. It is titled “Grade Retention Achievement and Mental Health Outcomes.”
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There are few education issues that anger me more than massive retention of third graders based on one test score! It’s a huge mistake. Adults fail children by not assisting them with their learning problems. Why is massive school retention terrible? A retained student doesn’t learn as well as a promoted student. Research shows that students held back learn slower and gains don’t last. Students who are promoted make more growth especially if their learning problems are addressed.
- It is based on one test! There is a mistaken assumption that the test is a perfect measure of all a child knows. The questions are selected by a monolithic publishing company, like Pearson, who knows nothing else about the child.
- It’s hard to find research that supports retention. The American Psychological Association and the American Educational Research Association are just two organizations against using a single score to retain students. Researchers have combed through hundreds of studies and they indicate retention doesn’t work and is often harmful.
- Retained students often drop out of school later. The association between retention and dropping out of school is real. The older a student is when they are retained, the more likely it is they will drop out.
- Some children aren’t test-takers. Children, even gifted students, might dislike tests and not do well. Or, they get nervous taking a test.
Politicians have not done their homework. Retention might sound good, but making a student repeat the same class is like being Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. If you don’t get it the first time around, why would you understand it when you repeat? What if a student still doesn’t do well after they repeat? Students need new approaches to learning. - More disadvantaged, black males get retained. More black males attending poor schools wind up being retained. Students who don’t have access to schools with resources and qualified teachers won’t likely do well in school.
- It is developmentally inappropriate. Visit a middle school class of sixth graders and you will be able to pick out the students who flunked (what kids call it). They reached puberty before their classmates. These students are often bullied or they become bullies.
- Retention for children is shaming. Think about the pain of watching your classmates move ahead while you are made to stay with younger children.
- Retention fits into the ugly “no excuses” climate that is damaging to children.
- Retained students usually have behavior difficulties later. Most students who fail will harbor anger especially when they get to middle and high school.
- Parents like it for other children. Many parents who support retention don’t want it for their own children.
- Retention is not innovative. Retention is a bad practice with a bad track record that has been around for years.
- Retention is costly. Making children repeat a class puts strain on the teacher and increases class size. It costs the school district and the taxpayers money.
If you don’t retain a child, what do you do if they are behind their peers? Social promotion doesn’t seem right either. There are much better solutions and here are a few:
- Lowering class size. If teachers have fewer students, especially early on, they will be better able to address individual learning needs.
- Providing age-appropriate preschools. Children who start out with rich early learning experiences, with exposure to play, good picture books and literary experiences, will likely have better learning results when they start school.
- Give teachers time to work with students. Teachers need to be freed from the shackles of high-stakes standardized testing so they can better understand reading disabilities.
- Kindergarten redshirting. If a child is younger than their classmates at the start of kindergarten they might be redshirted. Redshirting is having a child start kindergarten a year later. This isn’t always an easy decision.
- Evaluate the child for learning disabilities. A school psychologist should do a battery of tests to determine why a student isn’t progressing. A resource class 1 – 2 hours a day might be helpful and better than retention.
- Check on the child’s life situation. Children with personal problems can’t focus on school. There might be an illness or divorce in the family. Maybe a parent lost a job. When such problems are resolved the child could get back on their feet.
- It might be developmental. Some students just learn a little slower. A growth spurt might be just around the corner!
- Loop classes. Schools combine classes like first and second grade, and students have the same teacher, allowing the teacher more time to understand the student. It may give students time to catch up.
- Multi-level or multi-age classes. Several grades in a small setting with students working together—the one room schoolhouse idea—might assist a child.
- Tutoring. Enlist the assistance of high school students looking for service activities. And/or bring in volunteers from local businesses so they can learn about the difficulties facing students.
- Summer school. This might give the child more attention and a smaller more relaxed class setting, but they should get some vacation too!
- Absences might mean retention. Some children are immature and miss a lot of school. If they are small and have not bonded with classmates, retention might be a valid consideration—especially in kindergarten. This is not based on one test score but serious consideration of much information.
Suzanne Whitney, a research editor for Wrightslaw, provides excellent information about how to fight mandatory retention. The information is primarily for Florida, but those in other states could benefit. It is called: 10 Strategies to Fight Mandatory Retention & Other Damaging Policies.
Citation
Anderson, Gabrielle E., Angela D. Whipple, & Shane R. Jimerson, NCSP. “Grade Retention Achievement and Mental Health Outcomes.” National Association of School Psychologists.
I couldn’t disagree more. There is far more damage in continuing to promote a child, who has not achieved the needed skills taught in one grade. Too often, the children are expected to do more than they are developmentally able to do. Pulling them away from the few special activities that they enjoy (art, music, computers) for an additional hour or two of reading is going to make them hate school more. Retention needs to happen earlier than 3rd grade. If the parents and teachers agree that the child isn’t grasping things as quickly by kinder or 1st grade, then they need to repeat that grade. There are just as many emotional consequences of being labeled the “dumb” kid, as there are being the kid who “flunked”. The coursework only gets harder as time goes on. I’m the parent of a gifted kindergartener, who was reading at 4 years old. But, she’s also the youngest in her class. If I find she is unable to keep up with her peers, I will absolutely hold her back. In my family, all 3 of my siblings repeated 1st grade for various reasons. They all graduated high school, some went to college, and all are successful adults now. They were just given a little longer to learn the basics. It’s sounds to me that this article was written by a disgruntled adult that was held back in her earlier years, or a parent, who didn’t want to face the fact that her own 3rd grader wasn’t meeting the needed standards to move forward.
Laura, Please read the research. Look this title up on Google:
“Grade Retention Achievement and Mental Health Outcomes.” If you don’t believe me maybe you will believe some prominent school psychologists.
And look up other reports on retention. The research is clear that there are less humiliating ways of helping students overcome their difficulties with reading.
Also, it is my understanding that parents have NO say in the Michigan rule. I find that troubling. Parents should always be a part of serious decisions involving their children and schooling.
I am happy that your family members are doing well. But that doesn’t always happen when children are retained. It is associated with dropping out of school.
PP will never bother top crack open her mind. Mindless sheep just following the fluffy white tail in front of her.
Read the “Right Side of Normal” just for kicks.
My sister was almost held back in third grade for reading. My dad asked her what she wanted to do. If she moved up, she would have to work really hard on the one thing she struggled with the most. If she stayed back, there was no guarantee it would get easier. She chose nightly practice with dad. As it turns out, my sister most likely had dyslexia, but her determination and the commitment from my father made all the difference. Two years ago she won Teacher of the Year for Oakland county, as an English teacher. Go figure.
Kate, Thank you for sharing! Congratulations to your sister! The school should have been there for your sister, but your dad took over! It sounds like her sister is pretty nice too!
I have 3 kids all dyslexic (as well as myself and husband ,my mom, my sister and my nephew) the only ones identified dyslexic are this current generation. I knew something wasent right when my son was in kinder but teachers kept telling me “hes to young to test” whitch isnt true. Finally at the end of first i learned the laws and demand they test my son. As it turns out his IQ is above average and dyslexic so more of the same reading interventions wont work for children with dyslexia. So after you find out thier dyslexic you assume they will get the help needed. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was up to ME to find a reading tutor that knows orton-gillingham methods to help him. Thru his being identified dyslexic i had my girls tested as well and giess what they are too but not dyslexic “enough” to get the help they needed so thier IEP is in math only. My oldest is an hohor roll student in middle school . She can read ,write and spell like a boss. My sesond daughter reads at level and her working memory is great enough to pass spelling tests but its gone a week later so her spelling is awful ( phonetic ) my son is more profoundly dyslexic then his sisters. He gets A’s on all tests because he understands the material he just cant read it himself so they read tests to him. Would it be ok to have him repeat the same grade when learning isnt the issue reading is. Would you take away a wheelchair from a physically disabled child and tell them to try harder to walk up the stairs? So why is this any different? 1 in 5 are dyslexic. ..20% of the population and odviously rhe numbers of not profecient 3rd grade readers supports that. They need to identify dyslexia provide daily reading intervention thats EVADENCE BASED. Teachers need to know more about dyslexia sence its in EVERY SINGLE CLASSROOM. Dyslexic kids are well aware of thier struggles and believe me when you have 7 yr old saying things like “im stupid ” “i wish i would go to sleep and not wake up” because they try soooo hard in a way thats never ment for them. I will so bold as to say every struggling child stuck in RTI is dyslexic too. Dyslexia is on a continuum (mild moderate severe profound ) and with this “disability “comes AMAZING strengths and a different way of thinking and seeing things. 50%of NASA employees are dyslexic and are sought out on purpose because of rhe unique way thier minds work. Laura uou need to do the mountian of reasearch us parents of dyslexic children have to do and you will see how misguided you are.
Thank you. Many great points made here, Debbie! Students with dyslexia are often twice exceptional (gifted) and many schools are failing to address their needs. Retention is definitely not the answer for students with dyslexia. It is not appropriate for any student with a disability or giftedness either.
Public schools have turned a blind eye to dyslexia because it is too expensive to test for, Easier (for them) to simply ignore it. If I bring up the problem at a staffing, I am spitting into a gale force wind of denial. There is simply no mechanism in place to deal with dyslexia, The degree to which the public education system has willingly ignored a condition which effects as many as one out of five students is shameful and unacceptable.
Retention is a misnomer. We all are retained in knowledge in some areas. All it means is that you don’t understand at the same level. The problem is much larger than semantics. First, when children are retained they are given the same instruction, often by the same teacher. The methodology has more importance than retention. Another problem with retention is that it has people repeating the known in other areas creating a multitude of problems. I suggest the abolishment of grades and allow children to attend classes at the level of instruction in every subject. No more retention as well as no more locking the gifted student in a grade as opposed to ability. It would make a huge psychological difference for all learners and teachers.
I love this Briann! This is what we should be discussing, but unfortunately when the topic of nongraded education and “personalized” learning comes up today it is in regard to online learning only. But thank you for commenting..
An organization called the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) published a study years ago. The conclusion of the study was that children who are struggling readers in third grade rarely “catch up”.
Apparently, many legislators are also struggling readers, because the recommendations of the study did not include high stakes testing and retention of those who failed to meet the cut score. Instead, interventions included more quality preschool choices, summer programs for young students, smaller class sizes, and other items that make sense.
Unfortunately, Florida under then-governor Jeb Bush built this wall and retained a bunch of third graders. Miraculously, the next year’s 4th grade NAEP scores showed gains! Instead of saying, “Duh!” since the students who took the test were the better readers of the cohort, other states, including the one in which I teach third grade, grabbed the ALEC mad lib style model legislation and filled in the blanks, creating their own third grade retention laws based on their misinterpreted reading of the AECF research paper.
What happens to the kids who are retained? Let me tell you what I see and hear. They are disengaged. They are not putting forth any effort. They are angry. They are turning into bullies. They are asking some pretty salient questions. For example, since the law states that anyone who was previously retained in K-2 is not subject to the third grade retention law, kids are actually saying, “I know that xxxxx is dumber than me, so why did he get to go to 4th and I flunked?”
In conversations with 4th and 5th grade teachers, they really do not notice an improvement in the reading skills of their students.
At Open House, I had a parent tell me that her daughter worried all summer about being able to pass the test. This anxiety was ruining the summer of a 7 year old!
And yes, there is a correlation that I have found between gender and retention, as well as a birthday correlation. Boys with summer birthdays are more likely to be retained!
The problem is that kids do not think inferentially. Since I am not allowed to ever see the questions they missed on any HST, I am working on a hunch that they are missing the “author and you” inferential questions, which would be classified under “formal operations” in Piaget’s stages of development.
Anyone who thinks that this is a great way to solve our nation’s economic problems, torturing 8-year-olds, I hope that one day you will be held accountable for the lives you ruined and the suffering you caused.