Longitudinal Effects of Retention and Promotion in Kindergarten on Academic Achievement

Abstract

Same-year and same-grade comparisons were made of a matched sample of students retained in and promoted after one year from kindergarten. longitudinal performance in first, second, and third grades was studied using standardized test scores in reading and mathematics, and students’ performances were compared using multivariate analyses and Bonferroni comparisons. For both the same-year and the same-grade comparisons, significant group effects were found in reading; however, significant group effects were found in mathematics only for same grade comparisons. Significant interaction effects were found for both disciplines.