Third-Grade Retention in Tennessee: Evaluating Longitudinal Patterns and Legislative Changes in Retention

• In Event: 30.081 - Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: 30.081-2 - Division L Section 5 Poster Session

Abstract

Retention is a common educational intervention utilized when students are considered unprepared for the next grade. Research on the effects of retention is inconclusive, and recent studies have focused on a handful of high-profile, unusually prescriptive retention policies. This analysis focuses on Tennessee’s third grade retention policy. Utilizing detailed administrative data, this study analyzes descriptive patterns of retention and specifically examines whether the state’s newly implemented retention law has influenced students’ short-term outcomes. The descriptive analysis finds differential retention rates based on student characteristics that largely align with prior research. The results from difference-in-differences models suggest that the law may have small and positive effects on students’ academic performance in reading but small and negative effects on their attendance.

Author

• Susan Kemper Patrick, Vanderbilt University