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Regulations advocating for retaining children in elementary school to enhance their reading abilities are prevalent—if not well-received—throughout the United States.

Nonetheless, the advantages for students seem to stem from the supplemental services established once they are identified for grade repetition—not the retention per se—according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan.

The investigators at U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy analyzed a regulation that mandated students who scored below a specific threshold on the third-grade reading assessment to be considered for retention. This implies that, barring any exemptions, these students would be obliged to repeat the third grade.

Such regulations are typical in numerous states, affecting over a third of public school third graders in the 2023-24 academic year, although they often incorporate various acceptable-cause exemptions. Advocates argue that retaining a child can afford them the additional time and tutoring necessary to grasp essential literacy skills before progressing to more challenging material.

The researchers utilized administrative records from Michigan to compare two sets of third graders subject to the exam-based retention policy: Students who scored just under the threshold that triggered retention and otherwise similar peers who scored just above it.

The most compelling—and unexpected—discovery? Students marked for retention made gains in their reading scores in the subsequent year—even if they were not retained. The researchers suggested that it was likely due to the resources schools provided to these students, such as small-group teaching, extra-instructional programs, or summer schooling.

“This is significant for at least two reasons: Firstly, it indicates that these types of services can aid children, and secondly, it demonstrates that retention itself might not be essential for enhancing student performance,” remarked study co-author Brian Jacob, professor of education policy and economics at U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy.

“This latter point is crucial because retention is highly unpopular among parents, educators, and many policymakers.”

Michigan implemented a third-grade retention law in 2016; however, in 2023, the state legislature repealed the retention aspect while retaining the support services.

From a policymaking perspective, Jacob and his colleagues assert that these findings prompt reconsideration of the efficacy of test-driven grade retention. It is not only unpopular among students, parents, and educators but also incurs costs and poses challenges for schools attempting to balance class sizes and instructional loads.

Despite the existence of similar policies in many states, the researchers caution that their results may not be applicable to regions with differing demographics or specific reading law provisions. Nevertheless, they raise pertinent questions regarding the actual drivers of reading skill improvement in retention policies.

The way forward, they state, involves researchers acquiring data that details the services individual students receive before and after the retention determination. This will likely necessitate data that is typically available in local schools or districts and may require teams with expertise in survey and qualitative methodologies.

Jacob co-authored the study alongside Christina Weiland, a professor of education and public policy, and co-director of the Education Policy Initiative; Jordan Berne, who completed his doctorate in economics at U-M; and Katharine Strunk, dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

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