The Adoption of Test-Based Grade Retention Policies: An Event History Analysis

SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://sagepub.com

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Grade Repetition; National Competency Tests; Educational History; Student Characteristics; African American Students; Reading Tests; Grade 4; Elementary School Students; Educational Policy; Policy Analysis; State Norms; Accounting; Social Promotion; Comparative Analysis; Educational Legislation; Economic Factors; Political Influences; Race; Ethnicity; Preschool Education; Enrollment Trends; High School Students; Exit Examinations

10.1177/08959048231174886

0895-9048
1552-3896

We use event history analysis on an aggregate dataset from 1997 to 2018 to understand the state-level antecedents associated with the adoption of test-based grade retention policies. Findings indicate that the educational conditions of a state to be more predictive of retention policy adoption than the political, economic, and geographic measures. In particular, a greater share of Black students in a state, lower fourth grade NAEP reading proficiency rates, and larger student enrollments in the early grades were all associated with increased odds of grade retention policy adoption.

As Provided

2024

EJ1425243