Can you repeat a grade in high school

Take a look at these pros and cons. Repeating a grade increases the risk. Kids who are much younger than grade-level peers and who have a history of struggling academically can benefit from repeating a grade. It can be a better fit emotionally and age-wise. Kids who are already the oldest in their grade will be almost two years older than the rest of the class.

And kids who stay back tend to lose the positive gains within two to three years after being held back. Kids who can tell you they feel like another year in the same grade will be helpful are good candidates for repeating a grade. With caveats like that in mind, West said he believes that retention, handled well, can be an effective tool for some students.

But it should be used thoughtfully and very sparingly, he said. Research shows what works to help children recoup missed learning. Closely tracking students for signs of trouble, using high-dosage tutoring to catch them up, and extending time for learning can all play roles. The Lawrence, Mass. This year, the district is adding a hefty — and voluntary—summer program. It combines a morning of academics with afternoon activities like sailing or swimming. Emily Freitag, the CEO of Instruction Partners, a nonprofit that advises school districts, has noticed that many educators put themselves into one of two camps: acceleration or remediation.

But those terms can mean very different things to different people, and they risk oversimplifying a complex problem and the nuanced solutions it requires, Freitag said.

She urges schools to think through learning-recovery strategies subject by subject, grade by grade, and student by student. Responding to missed content in 7th grade science is different from doing so in 2nd grade reading or 5th grade math, Freitag said.

All Topics. About Us. Group Subscriptions. Recruitment Advertising. Events and Webinars. Leaders to Learn From.

Current Issue. Special Reports. EdWeek Research Center. EdWeek Top School Jobs. EdWeek Market Brief. Menu Search. Sign In Subscribe.

Should They? Special Report. Reset Search. Student Achievement. By Catherine Gewertz — May 24, 8 min read. Terra Jones, 11, a Detroit 5th grader, has struggled with remote learning all year. Her mother, Mia Halthon, is weighing whether to have Terra repeat 5th grade out of concern that she's not ready to move onto 6th grade.

Share article Remove Save to favorites Save to favorites. Negative effects are disproportionately greater for disadvantaged students, for students from ethnic minorities, and for students who are relatively young in their year group. Have you considered alternative interventions such as intensive tuition or one to one support? They are considerably cheaper and may make repeating a school year unnecessary see One to one tuition.

Negative effects tend to increase with time and repeating more than one year significantly increases the risk of students dropping out of school. All rights reserved. Sign up to the Evidence for Learning e-news to receive updates on evidence-informed practice taking place in Australia and internationally. Skip to main content. Negative impact, very high cost, based on moderate evidence. Average cost. Evidence security. Months' impact - 4 months.

What is it?