Separating fact from fiction about education. Informational series for business and community leaders, policy makers and members of the media. There are alternatives that work better.
Many people believe that repetition of a grade helps students catch up.
In-grade retention is defined as having a student repeat a year of school at a particular grade level. In other words, it means giving students another year of a learning situation that did not work the first time. It usually does not work the second time either. Fifty percent of students who repeat a grade do no better the second time, and 25 percent of the students actually do worse the second time. The inability of students to perceive themselves as successful results in poor school performance.