Placement of students has always been at the discretion of the local district, provided they can assure they are meeting the child’s developmental needs. Through KRS 158.031, districts may advance students through the primary program when it is in the best educational interest of the child. The process districts must follow is identified in 702 KAR 7:125 Section 7 (2) (a through d), and it applies to students who are at least five but less than six years of age. The principal/school district always has the final decision on student placement (KRS 158.140) and there is no statutory or regulatory provision for an appeal process.
Placement decisions based on multiple sources of data and defensible with current research can result in an optimal environment allowing for a student’s continued progress academically, socially and emotionally. Recognizing that the rate of development varies among young children, a student is assessed individually and all decisions are made on a case by case basis and with the cooperation of the caregivers.
Section 3 of KRS 158.031 makes clear that the district must provide all students with a developmentally appropriate education. As defined in 704 KAR 3:440, developmentally appropriate practices are instructional practices that address “the physical, aesthetic, cognitive, emotional and social domains of children and that permit them to progress through an integrated curriculum according to their unique learning needs.” A child who is retained may not repeat the same curriculum. Districts must ensure that all students make continuous progress (one of the critical attributes of KY’s Primary Program). Continuous progress means that each child is expected and allowed to progress through the primary school program at his/her own pace of learning, recognizing that all individuals learn at different developmental rates.
If schools are considering retention, they should already have an intervention plan in place - you may find more information at Kentucky Systems of Intervention. The school should be able to discuss the interventions they have tried and what they currently have in place to meet the needs of all students. Intervention and retention are not the same.
Equity Considerations
The zip code in which Kentucky children live, the amount of money their family earns, and the color of their skin are pervasive and powerful influences on the childhood they will have and the future they can embrace. We must recognize how our society allows and often promotes treating groups differently, whether consciously or not. For kids in Kentucky, there are reasons why place, income, and race matter. Those reasons have been embedded in us for years, and it is going to take time to change policies and attitudes to give every child a chance to thrive. We must learn together. We must be honest together. And we must move forward together.
-from the foreword of Kentucky Kids Count 2016 Data Book Can Kentucky Handle the Truth? By Terry I. Brooks, Ed.D. Executive Director Kentucky Youth Advocates
Who Gets Held Back? "Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are strong predictors throughout the research literature on grade retention; what is less well known is how the risk of grade retention is different across racial/ethnic groups and if structural-level variables play a role."
Research continues to show the negative impact retention has on the individual child. If our goal is to provide each student in the state of Kentucky with the opportunity and access needed for success, we must admit that retention may serve the needs of other agendas, but, in fact, does not serve the needs of students.
There has been a growing emphasis on using standardized tests as the way to measure whether students are ready to be promoted. In many states, students must now obtain a certain score on a standardized test to be promoted at various grade levels in elementary, middle and high school. Proponents of this use of tests argue that setting a passing requirement will motivate students to "try harder" to pass. But testing experts, researchers, and many educators agree that standardized tests are an ineffective way of motivating students to learn. It is also inappropriate for standardized tests to be the sole measure of achievement.
Our vision for Kentucky education is one that puts students at the center of our work, values the profession of education, and values the education of the whole child, not simply test scores. Our vision values innovation, collaboration, and putting traditional academia and career technical education on equal footing as both prepare students for their futures. Our new vision values students’ ability to show evidence of proficiency in many ways. It values the growth of each student, the students’ readiness to transition from one level to the next, opportunity and access, and closure of the achievement gap.
- Stephen L. Pruitt, Ph.D., Kentucky Commissioner of Education
Megan Andrew collected two large data sets in a way no researcher has done before and concludes that kids who repeat a year between kindergarten and fifth grade are 60 percent less likely to graduate high school than kids with similar backgrounds, and even 60 percent less likely to graduate high school than siblings in the same family.
Children Who Repeated a Grade: Indicators On Children and Youth - "Much research shows that repeating a grade does not benefit children either academically or socially. Students who repeat a grade continue to have significantly lower scores on standardized tests than their low-scoring peers who were not held back. One study of children who had repeated second grade found that their test scores were very similar to those of students in special education. Children who were retained in early grades were also more likely than other students to later drop out of school."
Neither retention nor social promotion are adequate strategies for meeting the needs of students who are at risk of failure. According to research, grade retention and promotion of failing students has been shown to result in negative outcomes. It is more effective to provide intervention. Retention is often seen as "punishing" the child for not progressing. This is of even greater concern when the child is a slow learner or has emotional/behavioral concerns.
Professor John Hattie - John Hattie is a leading researcher in education. He is widely known for his book Visible Learning, which focuses on what positively impacts student achievement, as well as what negatively effects achievement.
What Alternatives have Been Proposed?
The UCLA Center recommends a variety of alternatives to retention (e.g., Adelman & Taylor, 1998; 2006; National Association of School Psychologists, 2003; Thomas, 2000). For example, the National Association of School Psychologists (2003) has formulated an intervention plan to help students succeed and avoid retention. It encompasses the following facets, which are intended to be implemented separately or together depending on a school’s resources, time, and capability.
Encouraging parental involvement in education.
Encouraging the use of early education programs and preschool so that students are Kindergarten ready.
Offering extended day, extended year and summer school programs for students who are struggling.
Continuously monitoring student progress so that instruction can be modified and individualized.
Implementing looping and multiage classrooms
More broadly, research suggests the need is for schools and communities to weave together resources and develop a unified and comprehensive system of learning supports (Adelman & Taylor, 2006; Center for Mental Health in Schools, 2008).
In terms of content, the UCLA center emphasizes clustering the essential needs identified by schools and communities into the following six major intervention arenas:
Regular classroom strategies to enable learning – teachers collaborate with other teachers and student support staff to ensure learning is personalized for all students and especially those manifesting mild-moderate learning and behavior problems. There is a focus on enhancing the range of learning options, extending learning opportunities, and providing learning supports, accommodations, and special assistance as needed and within the context of implementing “Response to Intervention.” Special attention is given to re-engaging those who have become disengaged from learning at school.
Supports for transitions – programs and systems designed to assist students and families as they negotiate hurdles to enrollment, adjust to school, grade, and program changes, make daily transitions before, during, and after school, access and effectively use supports and extended learning opportunities, and so forth.
Home involvement and engagement – programs and systems designed to increase and strengthen the home and its connections with school.
Community involvement and engagement – programs and systems designed to increase and strengthen outreach to develop greater community involvement and support from a wide range of entities. This includes agency collaborations and use of volunteers to extend learning opportunities and help students-in-need.
Crisis response and prevention – programs and systems designed to respond to, and where feasible, prevent school and personal crises and trauma, including creating a caring and safe learning environment and countering the impact of out-of-school traumatic events.
Student and family assistance – programs and systems designed to facilitate student and family access to effective services and special assistance on campus and in the community as needed. Finally, all involved in school improvement recognize the need to ensure a focus on a full continuum of interventions encompassing: (1) promoting healthy development and preventing problems, (2) responding early after problem onset, and (3) treating chronic and severe problems.
The National Association of School Psychologists
For children experiencing academic, emotional, or behavioral difficulties, neither grade retention nor social promotion is an effective remedy. If educational professionals are committed to helping all children achieve academic success and reach their full potential, we must discard ineffective practices, such as grade retention and social promotion, in favor of "promotion plus" specific interventions designed to address the factors that place students at risk for school failure. NASP encourages school psychologists to actively collaborate with other professionals and parents in their school districts to address the findings of educational research, and develop and implement effective alternatives to retention and social promotion. Incorporating evidence-based interventions and instructional strategies into school policies and practices will enhance academic and social outcomes for all students.
"Both grade retention and social promotion fail to improve learning or facilitate positive achievement and adjustment outcomes. Neither repeating a grade nor merely moving on to the next grade provides students with the supports they need to improve academic and social skills. Holding schools accountable for student progress requires effective intervention strategies that provide educational opportunities and assistance to promote the social and cognitive development of students. Recognizing the cumulative developmental effects on student success at school, both early interventions and follow-up strategies are emphasized. Furthermore, in acknowledging the reciprocal influence of social and cognitive skills on academic success, effective interventions must be implemented to promote both social and cognitive competence of students. NASP encourages school districts to consider a wide array of well-researched, evidence-based, effective, and responsible strategies in lieu of retention or social promotion (see Algozzine, Ysseldyke, and Elliott, 2002 for a discussion of research-based tactics for effective instruction; see Shinn, Walker, and Stoner, 2002 for a more extensive discussion of interventions for academic and behavior problems)."
Specifically, NASP recommends that educational professionals:
encourage parents' involvement in their children's schools and education through frequent contact with teachers, supervision of homework, etc.
adopt age-appropriate and culturally sensitive instructional strategies that accelerate progress in all classrooms
emphasize the importance of early developmental programs and preschool programs to enhance language and social skills
incorporate systematic assessment strategies, including continuous progress monitoring and formative evaluation, to enable ongoing modification of instructional efforts
provide effective early reading programs
implement effective school-based mental health programs
use student support teams to assess and identify specific learning or behavior problems, design interventions to address those problems, and evaluate the efficacy of those interventions
use effective behavior management and cognitive behavior modification strategies to reduce classroom behavior problems
provide appropriate education services for children with educational disabilities, including collaboration between regular, remedial, and special education professionals
offer extended year, extended day , and summer school programs that focus on facilitating the development of academic skills
implement tutoring and mentoring programs with peer, cross-age, or adult tutors
incorporate comprehensive school-wide programs to promote the psychosocial and academic skills of all students
establish full-service schools to provide a community-based vehicle for the organization and delivery of educational, social and health services to meet the diverse needs of at-risk students.
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