EDUC 364 - Grade Retention by Michael Hauge

Impact on Students

hauge008 — 2025-03-05 06:14:21 UTC

Students who face grade retention are being punished when they should really be receiving more positive reinforcement.

Instead of being forced to retake an entire year's worth of material over again, students who may be struggling should be shown additional attention by educators to ensure they have a stronger understanding of the material than they otherwise would.

Research on grade retention has shown that it:

Hinders academic progress
Limits social and emotional development
Increases dropout risk
Disadvantages poor and minority students

Impact on Teachers

hauge008 — 2025-03-05 06:14:30 UTC

Teachers who teach students facing grade retention will not make the necessary progress for student success unless they are more attentive.

"When the decision is fail, retain and repeat, despite the learner’s difficulties, many learners lose their confidence and motivation."

When students lose this motivation, it becomes much more difficult for teachers to provide a beneficial educational experience for them. These students are cycled through a system that doesn't provide what they need from it.

Video

hauge008 — 2025-03-05 06:15:08 UTC

This video, along with its comment section, highlight the harm grade retention is capable of.

Reading about some personal accounts of grade retention goes to show how isolating it can feel, as well as how the stigma attached to it can eat away at students of all ages.

More Recent Impact

hauge008 — 2025-03-05 06:19:49 UTC

With COVID-19, grade retention has become an even larger issue.

Impact on Schools

hauge008 — 2025-03-05 07:02:02 UTC

Grade retention costs schools significantly more than providing more personalized approaches to learning would.

"With an average per pupil expenditure of over $7,500 a year, 11 this common practice of retention costs taxpayers over 18 billion dollars every year."