Grade Retention Across Borders: A Cross-Country Analysis of the Role of Schools

PurposeThis study investigated the trends of repetition and dropout rates in Myanmar's lower secondary education before and after the introduction of the “Continuous Assessment and Progression System (CAPS)” and probed the dependence of these tendencies on high-, middle- and low- socioeconomic status (SES). The obtained results were then examined to extract effective policy implications for the achievement of universal secondary education as specified in the Sustainable Development Goals.Design/methodology/approachBefore and after the CAPS introduction at four government secondary schools, grade repetition and dropout rate trends were examined with respect to differences in students' SES. The analysis utilised a sample of 7,272 students from target secondary schools in urban Yangon Region, Myanmar.FindingsIt was found that since the introduction of CAPS, the grade repetition rates had fallen significantly in all SES groups, so was effective regardless of students' SES. The results also demonstrated the influence of unequal CAPS on dropout rates: in the middle-SES group, significant falls to nearly zero post-CAPS implementation. The high-SES group was at ceiling pre- and post-CAPS, so was unaffected. However, in the low-SES group, high dropout rates persisted, indicating that the poor socioeconomic backgrounds of these students significantly reduced the benefits of CAPS.Originality/valueRather than using cross-sectional data such as education statistics, this study used longitudinal data based on academic enrollment registries that included information on individual enrollment statuses, which allowed for the relationships between grade repetition, school dropout, education policies and socioeconomic circumstances to be elucidated.

The evaluation of students’ progression in lower secondary education in Brazil: Exploring the path for equity

Background: Little is known about the academic performance of students with tic disorders (TD). Our aim was to investigate the association of TD and poor academic performance over time. Methods: Longitudinal, observational study of mainstream schoolchildren comparing grade retention (GR) and learning disorders (LD) in students with vs. without TD between 2010 and 2014. Students with vs. without TD based on DSM-IV-TR criteria, or with vs. without GR and LD were compared in terms of comorbidities, school, and environmental characteristics. The association of TD with GR was analyzed using hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs, and with LD using logistic regression analysis [Odds ratio (OR)]. Results: Two hundred fifty-eight students were included (mean age 14.0 ± 1.71 years, 143 [55.4%] males). The incident rate for TD and GR was 2.6 and 3.3 per 100 persons-year, respectively. LD found in 21 (9.9%) students was associated with TD (OR 11.62, 95% CI 2.21-60.90, p = 0.004), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; OR 6.63, 95% CI 1.55-28.37, p = 0.01). Low psychological support (HRs 12.79, 95% CI 3.39-48.17) and low sport participation (HRs 6.41, 95% CI 1.54-26.78) were risk factors for GR. Conclusions: TD was associated with academic difficulties, namely, LD in conjunction with ADHD but not GR. The diagnosis of TD and comorbidities, and the initiation of proper treatment could have a favorable impact on school performance, and consequently on social development.

This study investigates the extent to which national educational policy factors can explain differences in the probability of students repeating a grade in primary and lower-secondary education across OECD member countries. Data from the PISA 2009 study, the OECD Education at a Glance brochures, and the TALIS 2007 study were analyzed by means of three-level logistic regression models. The results indicate that a remarkable amount of variation in the likelihood of student grade retention lies at the country level. National educational policy factors, however, only partly explain this variation, indicating that traditions and societal beliefs regarding the benefits of grade retention also play a role in the explanation for international differences in retention.

Grade retention is one of the most discussed and controversial educational measures, and yet, it is still widely applied in many countries. Research investigating the effects of grade retention on students' psychosocial variables presents mixed findings, partly due to the variables assessed, methodological issues, and the length of the studies. This study aimed to analyse both the short to medium and longitudinal effects of grade retention in grades 7 or 8 on Portuguese students' academic self‐concept, self‐esteem, goal orientations, and school career. Data were collected continuously over a 3‐year span (once a year) and, again, 3 years after the third wave. After matching 477 students on several pretreatment variables using inverse probability treatment weighting with time‐varying treatments (i.e., retention), our analytical sample consisted of 85 promoted students, 33 students retained in grade 7, and 32 students retained in grade 8. Our results showed that retained students did not differ from their promoted peers in self‐esteem and goal orientations in the short, medium, or long term. The exception was for an increase in the academic self‐concept of retained students, but only in short term. Finally, considering students' school career, grade retention was not predictive of further retention.

Background This investigation was sparked by research findings on secondary education showing school segregation to be closely associated with homogeneous grouping practices, such as tracking and between-class ability grouping. Research Design We conduct secondary analyses of national data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K). Objectives Using these data, we investigate the degree to which the racial and ethnic composition of schools is associated with use of ability grouping practices as early as kindergarten. We focus on within-class ability grouping for reading instruction because it is the most common form of homogeneous grouping for the early grades. Results and Conclusions We find that this form of grouping is practiced by a majority of kindergarten teachers and schools, although frequency of use is quite varied, and some teachers and schools use it only sporadically. The most intensive use of within-class ability grouping exists in schools that serve high proportions of minority students and in schools with high variability in students’ reading readiness. The association between student body composition and use of this instructional practice remains even after variability in student academic skills and other structural characteristics of schools are accounted for. Schools serving primarily minority students that use within-class ability grouping have higher average gains in reading achievement by the end of the school year than comparable schools that do not use this form of grouping. Use of this instructional practice is not associated with increases in average achievement gain scores for schools serving students of diverse or primarily White backgrounds. Our findings provide the foundation for further studies of the structural, cultural, and political features of schools associated with the use of ability grouping at the onset of schooling.

The paper focuses on investigating the dropout phenomena and the need for its prevention and reduction within Serbian pre-university education. Understanding dropout as a multidimensional and system-level phenomenon, we offer a model for dropout prevention and intervention. The model considers the characteristics of schools in Serbia, together with the diversity of children under risk. Based on the findings from primary and secondary vocational schools2where the model was piloted, we focus on the model’s effectiveness as related to a reduction in the dropout rate, absenteeism, and grade repetition, together with the rise in students’ overall achievement at the school level. The results suggest the model is largely effective in the reduction of dropout rate, absenteeism, and grade repetition, with some ambiguous findings in regard to the rise of students’ achievement in primary schools.

Impressive progress has been made in raising participation in early childhood education as well as tertiary educational attainment over the past 30 years. However, the inflow of poorly educated youth into the labour market is unusually heavy for a high-income country, largely on account of high drop-out rates in lower secondary education which, in turn, reflect one of the highest grade repetition rates in the OECD. The supply of workers with intermediate vocational skills is surprisingly low, despite the high return, in terms of labour market outcomes that these skills offer, even if they have recently deteriorated. There is room to raise learning outcomes up to the end of compulsory school, as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), although, owing to a compressed distribution of such outcomes, the share of poorly performing pupils is not unusually large. While significant reforms have been undertaken to address these problems, more measures are needed to reduce grade repetition and raise education outcomes, by improving accountability of schools and school staff, as well as by raising school autonomy further than has already occurred. Vocational training needs to become more attractive. In tertiary education, few Spanish universities have attained a high level of international standing, and scope remains to improve the contribution tertiary attainment can make to gains in economic welfare, notably by reforming funding arrangements.

O artigo analisa os dados originados pela aplicação da Prova Brasil, a fim de responder duas perguntas: no período de dez anos, houve avanços na qualidade da educação em termos de aprendizado e aprovação no ensino fundamental 1 e 2? Quem são os alunos que melhoraram (ou não), segundo recortes territoriais e características sociais? São apresentadas estatísticas descritivas dos níveis de proficiência e da autodeclaração sobre a reprovação dos alunos do 5º e 9º anos de 2007 a 2017. Os resultados mostram uma melhora contínua dos dois indicadores de qualidade em todas as regiões e grupos sociais. Porém, pelos critérios adotados, as diferenças entre os grupos sociais e regiões do país são importantes para entender os entraves no avanço global do aprendizado e na redução da reprovação.

The purpose of this study was to compare long-term school outcomes (academic achievement in reading, absenteeism, grade retention, and school dropout) for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) versus those without AD/HD. Subjects included 370 children with research-identified AD/HD from a 1976-1982 population-based birth cohort (N = 5718) and 740 non-AD/HD control subjects from the same birth cohort, matched by gender and age. All subjects were retrospectively followed from birth until a median age of 18.4 years (AD/HD cases) or 18.3 years (non-AD/HD controls). The complete school record for each subject was reviewed to obtain information on reading achievement (last available California Achievement Test reading score), absenteeism (number/percentage of school days absent at each grade level), grade retention (having to repeat an entire grade in the subsequent school year), and school dropout (failure to graduate from high school). Median reading achievement scores at age 12.8 years (expressed as a national percentile) were significantly different for AD/HD cases and non-AD/HD controls (45 vs 73). Results were similar for both boys and girls with AD/HD. Median percentage of days absent was statistically significantly higher for children with AD/HD versus those without AD/HD, although the difference was relatively small in absolute number of days absent. Subjects with AD/HD were three times more likely to be retained a grade. Similarly, subjects with AD/HD were 2.7 times more likely to drop out before high school graduation (22.9%) than non-AD/HD controls (10.0%). The results of this population-based study clearly demonstrate the association between AD/HD and poor long-term school outcomes.

Does Lengthening the School Day Reduce the Likelihood of Early School Dropout and Grade Repetition: Evidence from Colombia

Impact of Economic and Family Intervention on Adolescent Girls’ Education Performance, School Absenteeism, and Behavior in School: The Suubi4Her Study

Grade retention, the practice of requiring a student to remain in the same grade the following year, disproportionately affects students with sociodemographic risk and facing academic challenges. Each year, the United States spends $20 billion on retention and two million children are retained. Extant studies examining early elementary grade retention generally focus on short-term effects and academic outcomes; little is known about long-term effects on academic and psychosocial outcomes in the middle grades. The current study uses propensity score methods and a national data set to estimate the effect of first- or second-grade retention on academic achievement and psychosocial outcomes six or seven years later. By comparing students who were retained to students who were similar on observed characteristics but otherwise promoted, we generate causal estimates that show a statistically significant negative effect of retention on reading achievement. Significant and robust effects were not consistently detected for other academic or psychosocial outcomes. As grade retention is a widely used educational intervention, implications for its effectiveness from a policy and practice perspective are discussed.

Background Prior research shows that teachers’ working conditions are important for teacher and student outcomes, such as teacher retention and student achievement. Because National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) can be effective in the classroom and as instructional leaders, they are well positioned to create favorable working conditions for all teachers. Therefore, having NBCTs at a school could strengthen working conditions in ways that result in improved teacher and student outcomes. For positive outcomes to be realized, however, the concentration of NBCTs at a school may need to increase. No empirical study has directly examined the relationship between the concentration of NBCTs at the school level, and teacher and student outcomes—a gap in knowledge that the current study begins to address. Purpose The study examines the relationship between the concentration of NBCTs at a school, operationalized as the proportion of NBCTs in teaching roles relative to all teachers, and student achievement in mathematics and English language arts in Grades 4–8 and teacher retention in Grades K–8. The outcome of teacher retention is for non-NBCTs. Therefore, it represents a spillover effect of NBCTs. Setting The study was conducted in North Carolina and Kentucky. Research Design The study is correlational. Data Collection and Analysis The study's data include statewide administrative records from North Carolina and Kentucky for 2014–15. Multilevel models are used to analyze outcomes, after controlling for prior year teacher, student, and school characteristics. Findings The evidence of the relationship between the concentration of NBCTs at a school and student achievement is not compelling: We found some statistically significant relationships in both states, but the estimates are inconsistent and small in statistical and practical terms. The direct relationship between the concentration of NBCTs and retention of non-NBCTs is not significant in either state. However, the concentration of NBCTs is positively and significantly associated with the retention of non-NBCTs at schools serving a high proportion of economically disadvantaged students in North Carolina compared with schools serving a low proportion of economically disadvantaged students. The estimate of this relationship is the strongest in the current study. The relationship in Kentucky is not significant. Conclusions/Recommendations The pattern of results for teacher retention in North Carolina in the current study is encouraging. It suggests that increasing the concentration of NBCTs may be one possible avenue for keeping teachers teaching at the same schools, including schools serving a large proportion of economically disadvantaged students where teacher turnover tends to be high, negatively affecting teachers and students. Overall, we conclude that the study's findings are sufficiently compelling to warrant additional research to examine NBCT concentration using multiple years of data and with more rigor than the current study could do.

To examine the link between childhood overweight status and elementary school outcomes. Prospective study design: multivariate regression models examining the association between changes in overweight status and school outcomes between kindergarten entry and end of third grade, after controlling for various child, family and school characteristics. Nationally representative sample of US children who entered kindergarten in 1998, with longitudinal data on body mass index (BMI) and school outcomes at kindergarten entry and end of third grade. Wide range of elementary school outcomes collected in each wave including academic achievement (math and reading standardized test scores); teacher reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems (BP), social skills (self-control, interpersonal skills) and approaches to learning; school absences; and grade repetition. Measurements of height and weight in each wave were used to compute BMI and indicators of overweight status based on CDC growth charts. A rich set of control variables capturing child, family, and school characteristics. Moving from not-overweight to overweight between kindergarten entry and end of third grade was significantly associated (P<0.05) with reductions in test scores, and teacher ratings of social-behavioral outcomes and approaches to learning among girls. However, this link was mostly absent among boys, with two exceptions - boys who became overweight had significantly fewer externalizing BPs (P<0.05), but more absences from school compared to boys who remained normal weight. Being always-overweight was associated with more internalizing BP among girls but fewer externalizing BPs among boys. Change in overweight status during the first 4 years in school is a significant risk factor for adverse school outcomes among girls but not boys. Girls who become overweight during the early school years and those who start school being overweight and remain that way may need to be monitored carefully.