Beyond Grade Retention and Social Promotion:
Promoting the Social and Cognitive Competence of Students

Shane R. Jimerson, Ph.D., NCSP
University of California, Santa Barbara
Center for School Based Youth Development

Dr. Jimerson contributes to and synthesizes contemporary research related to
grade retention, social promotion, and promoting student success.

Dr. Jimerson is a Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara with both the Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology program and the Child and Adolescent Development program and with the Center for School Based Youth Development. He has expertise in achievement trajectories, early grade retention, high school dropouts, evaluation of intervention programs for at-risk youth, early reading assessment, developmental psychopathology, school crisis prevention and intervention, and working with bereaved children and families.

Dr. Jimerson's scholarship and contributions to the study of grade retention have been recognized nationally, as he received the Best Research Article Award from the Society for the Study of School Psychology in 1998 and again in 2000. He also received the 2001 Outstanding Research Article of the Year from the National Association of School Psychologists / School Psychology Review. Dr. Jimerson also received the 2002 Early Career Scholar Award from the American Educational Research Association: Division E Human Development. In addition to publishing journal articles and books, Dr. Jimerson has provided lectures and presentations addressing these topics at conferences and other professional sessions throughout the state, across the nation, and around the world.

Amidst an era of "standards and accountability," Dr. Jimerson emphasizes essential research regarding grade retention and social promotion. Given that over 2.4 million children are retained each year costing over 14 billion dollars and a year of these children’s lives, Dr. Jimerson provides both innovative research and a synthesis of research addressing the efficacy of grade retention. Highlights include, a brief overview of the retention research from the past century, emphasizing the long-term correlates (e.g,, high school dropout) and incorporate a transactional-ecological model of development. Dr. Jimerson also provides a brief review of empirically supported alternatives to grade retention with an emphasis on promoting social and cognitive competence.

Dr. Jimerson has published several journal articles related to grade retention and social promotion, for example:

Anderson, G. E., Jimerson, S. R., & Whipple, A.D. (2002). Students’ ratings of stressful
experiences at home and school: Loss of a parent and grade retention as superlative
stressors. Manuscript prepared for publication, available from authors at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Ferguson, P., Jimerson, S., & Dalton, M. (2001). Sorting out successful failures:Exploratory analyses of factors associated with academic and behavioral outcomes of retained students. Psychology in the Schools, 38 (4), 327-342.

Jimerson, S. R. (1999). On the failure of failure: Examining the association between early grade
retention and education and employment outcomes during late adolescence. Journal of
School Psychology, 37, 243-272.

Jimerson, S. R. (2001a). Meta-analysis of grade retention research: Implications for practice in the 21st century. School Psychology Review, 30, 420-437.

Jimerson, S. R. (2001b). A synthesis of grade retention research: Looking backward and moving forward. The California School Psychologist, 6, 46-59.

Jimerson, S. R., Anderson, G. E., & Whipple, A. D. (2002). Winning the battle and losing the war:
Examining the relation between grade retention and dropping out of high school.
Psychology in the Schools, 39 (4), 441-457.

Jimerson, S. R., Carlson, E., Rotert, M., Egeland, B., & Sroufe, L. A. (1997). A prospective,
longitudinal study of the correlates and consequences of early grade retention. Journal of
School Psychology, 35, 3-25.

Jimerson, S. R., Egeland, B., Sroufe, L. A., & Carlson, E. (2000). A prospective longitudinal study of high school dropouts: Examining multiple predictors across development. Journal of School Psychology, 38, 525-549.

Jimerson, S. R., Egeland, B., & Teo, A., (1999). Achievement across time: A longitudinal study of deflections, considering early school and family factors. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 116-126.

Jimerson, S. R., Ferguson, P., Whipple, A. D., Anderson, G. E., & Dalton, M. J. (2002). Exploring the association between grade retention and dropout: A longitudinal study examining socio-emotional, behavioral, and achievement characteristics of retained students. The California School Psychologist, 7, 51-62.

Dr. Jimerson also provides presentations:

Beyond Grade Retention and Social Promotion:
Promoting the Social and Cognitive Competence of Students
Shane R. Jimerson, Ph.D., NCSP
University of California, Santa Barbara
Center for School Based Youth Development
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology
Child and Adolescent Development
<Jimerson@education.ucsb.edu>

The Issue:
Amidst an era of "standards and accountability," grade retention and social promotion emerge as salient topics among educational professionals. It is estimated that about 2.4 million children are retained each year costing over 14 billion dollars and a year of these children’s lives while converging evidence from research does not support the practice of grade retention.

Essential Elements of this Presentation:
1. A brief overview of the retention research from the past century, emphasizing the characteristics of retained students, studies examining the efficacy of the retention as an intervention strategy, long-term correlates, and the association between grade retention and high school dropout.
2. A review of empirically-supported alternatives to grade retention
including culturally sensitive, age-appropriate, comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies at the individual and school-wide levels.

Primary Objectives of this Presentation:
1. To emphasize the importance of research informing educational practice.
2. To generate awareness of the abundance of research data regarding the long-term outcomes of grade retention.
3. To present a variety of empirically-based prevention and intervention strategies as alternatives to grade retention.
4. To emphasize the importance of focusing on promoting social and cognitive competence of students at risk of academic failure.

Beyond Grade Retention and Social Promotion:
Promoting the Social and Cognitive Competence of Students
Shane R. Jimerson, Ph.D., NCSP
University of California, Santa Barbara
Center for School Based Youth Development
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology
Child and Adolescent Development
<Jimerson@education.ucsb.edu>An Outline

Introduction
-Era of Standards and Accountability
-Call for an end to social promotion (& grade retention)
-Emphasis on educational research
-Transactional-Ecological Developmental Model
Overview of Retention Research
-Characteristics of retained students
-Meta-analysis of efficacy of grade retention
-High school dropout and grade retention
-Longitudinal outcomes of retained students
-Students’ perspective regarding grade retention

Promoting Social and Cognitive Competence of Students
-Appropriate Assessment
-Classroom Level Strategies
-Direct Instruction
-Behavior Modification
-Mnemonic Techniques
-Reading Interventions
-Ongoing Formative Evaluation
-District Level Strategies
-Preschool Programs
-Summer School
-School-Based Mental Health Services
-Comprehensive Social & Cognitive Competence Programs
-Ongoing Formative Evaluation / Continuous Progress Monitoring

Discussion Regarding Challenges / Barriers, and Strategies to Overcome Them...
-Multiple Levels
-Highlight key points & take-home messages