Graduate Program

Educational Administration

Degree Name

Education Specialist (EdS)

Semester of Degree Completion

1979

Thesis Director

Robert V. Shuff

Abstract

Social or chronological promotion has long been a practice of the public schools of the United States. The alternative, nonpromotion or retention, has in the opinion of most psychologists and sociologists led to emotional and sociological trauma for the child. Another and probably the most cogent objection, is many parents oppose nonpromotion and are unwilling to accept the social stigma of "flunking." Children's achievement is a status symbol which profoundly affects families in many communities.

The writer contends that unless parents are directly involved in the decision early in the nonpromotion year, retention will not culminate in satisfactory achievement. Cooperation between the home and school is absolutely necessary to the success of this endeavor. A negative attitude, on the part of parents, will almost certainly lead to failure.

Another germane problem, involving student success, is the semantics of failure. Parenthetically, in far the majority of instances, it is not failure which poses the problem but inability to learn at the average levels of expectation. If we recognize that children grasp their bottles, crawl, walk, climb, babble and speak at different ages, why do we not likewise accept the logical conclusion that each child will also grasp varied information in the learning process at different ages?

Salem Elementary Schools have practiced retention for the last few years. In the fall of 1977, twenty-three first graders were, with parent approval, retained in grade 1. SRA achievement tests were administered to these students in the spring of 1977, 1978 and 1979. These results will be examined to ascertain results of this practice.

The above report, together with questionnaires sent to parents and teacher evaluation (students presently in the third grade), will be studied to attempt verification of whether or not retention adversely effected the social, emotional and educational growth of these children.

Retention may become more prevalent and thereby less an anathema if competency testing becomes more salient. Results of this research may provide valuable information to this and other school systems as they attempt to fulfill the demand for accountability in public education.

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