An examination of California school districts' response to AB 1626, AB 1639, and SB 1370: The Pupil Promotion and Retention Act of 1998

Despite the overwhelming research on the negative effects of retaining students, many states have began to pass laws requiring low performing students to repeat their previous grade. In September 1998, California legislators passed into law three bills designed to end social promotion. The new laws require school districts to develop new retention/promotion policies to ensure students entered into their high school years with basic reading and math skills. Students at risk of retention are to be identified as early as possible in their educational careers and are to receive extra help prior to being retained. Students who fail to meet district criteria are not allowed to proceed to the next grade level.;The purpose of this study was to examine California school districts' response to the new laws. The study surveyed state school districts on their retention/intervention practices prior to the new legislation and then asked districts to identify their criteria for retaining students and the intervention strategies they planned to use as a result of the new laws.;All California school districts with a student population of at least 100 students were surveyed during the spring and summer of 1999. Nearly one-third of the districts participated in the study.;Results show that school districts will be more aggressive in providing a higher level of intervention strategies for identified students. In addition, districts plan to use a variety of criteria when making the final decision to retain. Although the legislation does not include kindergarten or first grade students, two-thirds of the school districts stated they would include kindergarten and first grade students in their policy statements. The first grade reading intervention program, Reading Recovery, was mentioned by nearly half of the responding districts as a potential program for at-risk students. Nearly half the districts also reported they would be developing their own programs to meet the needs of their students. The legislation suggests districts use a minimum score from the state-testing program to identify students for intervention and retention. Nearly all districts reported they would use additional measures to make the decision on retention and promotion.