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"My son is 6 years old and in the 1st grade. He has problems in reading, writing and spelling and is on grade level in all other areas. The school wants to retain him. They believe he is immature, and will benefit from another year in first grade.

I asked the school to test him but they say "The test is so easy, he will pass." I contacted psychologists for a psycho-educational evaluation but this will cost about $1800. Our medical insurance may not pay for any of the cost."

Your story is painfully familiar. Your child has difficulties early, with red flags especially in language areas - reading, spelling, writing.

The school believes his problems are due to "immaturity." Oddly, this immaturity doesn't affect his ability to learn subjects like math or science. The school's solution to this problem is to retain the child while they continue to do the same thing with him, waiting for a different outcome.
"Waiting to Fail" Has Been Discredited For Decades
This is often called the "Wait to Fail" approach. Although retaining kids in hopes that "maturity" will cause them to learn to read, write and spell has been discredited for decades, this news doesn't seem to have reached many people who work in schools.

Preventing the Downward Spiral in Reading

First, read this article: Preventing Early Reading Failure.

The only way you can prevent the downward spiral described in this article is to:

try to educate the educators (although you should expect resistance from some)

get a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation on your son by an evaluator who has expertise in dyslexia.

Please read articles about learning to read and teaching children to read on these pages:

Retention is not an Appropriate Intervention

Despite clear evidence that retention does not work - and that it damages children - some school districts continue to use this outmoded policy.

You need to educate yourself before you can advocate for your child.

Go to the Retention and Social Promotion page. Download and read these articles :

Position Statement on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).

Grade Retention: Achievement and Mental Health Outcomes by Gabrielle E. Anderson, Angela D. Whipple, and Shane R. Jimserson, published by the National Association for School Psychologists.

"Often it is thought that the 'gift' of another year in the same grade will give the child reinforcing instruction as well as provide another year for the development of grade level educational skills. However, educational research fails to support grade retention as an effective intervention. In fact, grade retention has been associated with a host of negative outcomes on a variety of levels."

* Research: Retention is Ineffective, Maybe Harmful
* Impact of Retention on Student Mental Health
* Why Retention is a Failed Intervention
* Alternative Actions

Make copies of these articles for the members of your child's team. They support your position that retention is not an appropriate intervention, and often damages vulnerable children.

Frankly, I am shocked that schools are still proposing to retain children when they haven't evaluated the child to determine why the child is struggling in reading, writing and spelling - the classic signs of a language learning disability.

Get an Evaluation by an Expert

You asked the school to evaluate your child. They should have scheduled an evaluation at that time. The fact that they are dragging their feet is concerning.

At this point, you don't want to insist that the school test him - the outcome of a school evaluation is predictable. Some staff don't want to evaluate him because they can see the writing on the wall. Others still believe in the discredited "Wait to Fail" theory.

I know a comprehensive evaluation is expensive, but this is the only way to proceed.

A thorough evaluation by an expert in the private sector will give you a roadmap to use for years. The evaluation will describe your child's strengths and weaknesses, specifically what needs to be done to address his problems, and what will happen if the school continues to drag their feet.

What will happen if the school doesn't take appropriate action?

You child will continue to struggle and will fall further behind. In a year or two, the school will finally evaluate him - he'll probably be in third or fourth grade. After this belated evaluation, they will propose a special ed program that will not remediate his problems, will not teach him to read, and will not help him catch up with his peers. He is likely to be emotionally damaged by the process.

If you have health insurance and your child's doctor recommends an evaluation, some insurance companies will pay up to 50% of the cost.

If I was in your shoes, I'd find a way to get the funds for that evaluation - I'd get a loan, get help from family members (especially grandparents) -- whatever it takes.

Develop a good working relationship with the evaluator. Explain that you would like to consult with him or her about any program the school offers and whether your son is making acceptable progress.

After the evaluation, ask the evaluator to attend the Team meeting to explain his/her findings. It's harder for the school personnel to say "no" when the evaluator is sitting across the table, explaining how the child will be damaged by their continued inaction.

Teaching Your Child to Read

Assume you get this private sector evaluation and the evaluator concludes that your son does have a language learning disability and needs a specific program of remediation. Your problems are not over, and may have just begun.

Do not assume that special educators know how to teach children to read. Most special education programs do not teach aspiring teachers how to teach reading. A special educator may have graduated with an "overview" of reading but no real training in any research based reading program.

Speech language pathologists and reading specialists write to us, saying how sad they are when a student goes into special ed because they knew that child will NEVER LEARN TO READ. After all these years, I am still astounded by these emails.

I checked the curriculums at several schools that teach special educators. I found very little emphasis on teaching children to read, although this problem is shared by most students in special ed.

I hope this is helpful. If you don't have a copy of our book, Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd Edition, I urge you to get a copy. It costs $19.95, less when a group buys in bulk. You have a long road ahead of you, with many obstacles. You need to be prepared to recognize and deal with these obstacles quickly and efficiently.

You also need to be strong, determined and persistent. Your child cannot advocate for himself - he needs you to take on this job.

Bottom Line: Don't allow the school to retain your son. This will damage him. Insist that the school use a research based reading program that is implemented by a highly skilled, trained reading teacher.

Please keep us posted,

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Retention: "Waiting to Fail" Instead of Teaching a Child to Read - Wrightslaw.com

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"My son is 6 years old and in the 1st grade. He has problems in reading, writing and spelling and is on grade level in all other areas. The school wants to retain him. They believe he is immature, and will benefit from another year in first grade.

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by Jay Smink

Although the National Dropout Prevention Center has been vocal in its support of a variety of educational strategies, especially the Fifteen Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention, the policy statement you see here in opposition to grade retention is our first on an educational issue.

Why Grade Retention? And Why Now?

The issue of retention has been studied extensively by many researchers, and this research has been monitored by the Center staff over the past decade. The evidence of its negative effect on students' emotional development, social behavior, academic achievement, and dropping out continues to be overwhelming. The current climate of increased accountability, while laudatory in its goal of high expectations, nevertheless needs to be accountable itself to the fact that retention of students does not work.

This policy piece challenges educators, parents, and concerned community members to join in working with local, state, and national policymakers to develop policies which combine accountability with responsible actions that promote the success of every child.

The concept of continuous improvement is one that is supported by research, and efforts need to be made to develop policies and educational practices that support what research reveals about child development. The current rigid grade level requirements imposed upon children-which are not based on research-drive the debate today. Responsible educators and parents need to speak out, loudly and clearly, on this important issue.

Yes, educators should have high expectations. But, they should not forget their knowledge of how and when children learn. To do otherwise would be to shirk their responsibilities to the children in America's schools today.

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by Jay Smink Although the National Dropout Prevention Center has been vocal in its support of a variety of educational strategies, especially the Fifteen Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention, the policy statement you see here in opposition to grade retention is our first on an educational issue. Why Grade Retention?

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Retention, Delays and Social Promotion Articles l Resources l Flyers

We receive dozens of emails every week about retention, social promotion and high-stakes testing. Despite clear evidence that retention does not work - and that it damages children - many school districts continue to use this outmoded policy.

If you are dealing with a retention problem, you must educate yourself before you can advocate for the child. Download and read these articles, the Position paper from the National Association of School Psychologists, and the American Federation of Teachers.

Make copies of these documents for members of your child's team - they support the position that retention is not an appropriate intervention.

Articles

"Waiting to Fail" Instead of Teaching a Child to Read. Despite clear evidence that retention does not work - and that it damages children - some school districts continue to use this outmoded policy of "waiting to fail". Pam Wright explains the real issue is teaching a child to read.

Retention! Special Ed Teacher Needs Help, Ammunition - A special ed teacher disagrees with her mentor teacher about retention. She says, "research shows that retention is not successful, and inappropriate to recommend retention for students with IEPs." He says she is wrong. Sue Heath offers ammunition for teachers and parents who are dealing with retention. 10 Strategies to Fight Mandatory Retention & Other Damaging Policies by Sue Heath. Learn how you can find answers to questions in the law and strategies you can use to fight mandatory retention and other damaging policies.

High Stakes! Can the School Use a Single Test to Retain My Child? - Research editor Sue Heath answers questions from parents about high-stakes testing and mandatory retention.

Retention or Promotion? What's Best for My Child? For those who are dealing with retention, you must educate yourself before you can take a rational position and advocate for a child.

What Diploma Path is your Child On? Will Retention Push Him Off that Path? Retention would be a major setback for my son that I fear he will not easily recover from. What can I do to give my son every opportunity to get to 4th grade?

Why Retain? It Didn't Work the First Time. What to do when the school wants to retain your child. If your child could have learned to read with the previous type and level of instruction he would have already learned to read.

Sample Retention Letter. An excellent sample of a retention letter you can use to request the school not retain your child. This sample letter describes a parent's concerns about the child's lack of progress, their concerns about the school's proposal to retain her, and a proposal for a solution to the child's problems.

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Ammunition / Resources from Others

Grade Retention - Achievement and Mental Health Outcomes (National Association of School Psychologists) 6th grade students rated grade retention as the single most stressful life event, higher than the loss of a parent or going blind. Retained students are less likely to receive a high school diploma by age 20, receive poorer educational competence ratings, and are less likely to be enrolled in any post-secondary education program. Retained students receive lower educational and employment status ratings and are paid less per hour at age 20.

National Dropout Prevention Center Makes Policy Statement on Grade Retention. The issue of retention has been studied extensively. The evidence of its negative effect on students' emotional development, social behavior, academic achievement, and dropping out continues to be overwhelming.

Opportunity Deferred or Opportunity Taken? An Updated Look at Delaying Kindergarten Entry - Parents who concerned about their child's maturity and whether to enroll their child in kindergarten are often advised to give the child the "gift of time." Research does not support this practice. In a review of the latest research about the consequences of keeping children out of school an extra year shows that delaying kindergarten entry often has negative effects. Parents need to realize that by holding their child back, they may be depriving the child of important opportunities for learning - the "theft of opportunity.

Position Statement on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion (National Association of School Psychologists) "Through many years of research, the practice of retaining children in grade has been shown to be ineffective in meeting the needs of children who are academically delayed."

White Paper: Grade Retention and Social Promotion (National Association of School Psychologists).

Grade Retention and Promotion: Information for Parents (National Association of School Psychologists).

The Grade Retention Fallacy (Harvard Civil Rights Project [now The Civil Rights Project UCLA]) "Research tells us that fear and humiliation are not the strongest motivators for struggling students."

The Effects of Grade Retention on High School Outcomes: Evidence from New York City Schools (RAND 2018). Grade retention reduces high school credit accumulation and the likelihood of taking math and English Regents exams. For middle school students, we also find that retention increases dropout and reduces the likelihood of completing Regents exam graduation requirements.

Holding middle-schoolers back causes dropout rates to spike, new research finds (Chalkbeat 2018).

Retention is Not the Answer. (Wrightslaw) A North Carolina school psychologist writes about retention and social promotions, and his state's policy of retaining children while ignoring research that retention is not an appropriate intervention.

Should I Allow the School Retain My Child? (Wrightslaw) Advice to a parent's frequently asked questions about retention - generally, it is not a good idea.

To Promote or Retain? (Wrightslaw) Summary of research on retention which shows that retention is not an appropriate intervention for children who have academic delays.
Ending Social Promotion Download this 85 page publication from the U. S. Department of Education. "Neither social promotion nor retention is appropriate for students who do not meet high academic standards." http://www.ed.gov/PDFDocs/socialprom.pdf

Passing on Failure, Eliminating Social Promotion (American Federation of Teachers) "Grade-by-grade standards for students are essential. These standards support academic rigor and ensure fairness by defining the expectations for success for all students."

Early Intervention Works, Grade Retention Doesn't (University of Wisconsin)

Exploring the Association Between Grade Retention and Dropout (California School Psychologist)

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Flyers

If you want to help others learn about special education law and advocacy, please download, print and distribute Wrightslaw information flyers.

Where can you distribute flyers? At school meetings, doctor's offices, hospitals, and day care centers!

Retention & Social Promotion Flyer

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Revised 10/10/2019

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Retention and Social Promotion Topics Page - Wrightslaw

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Retention, Delays and Social Promotion Articles l Resources l Flyers We receive dozens of emails every week about retention, social promotion and high-stakes testing. Despite clear evidence that retention does not work - and that it damages children - many school districts continue to use this outmoded policy.