A high school follow-up of children who were nonpromoted or attended a junior first grade

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of repeating a grade or participating in a junior first-grade program. High school students (N = 137) answered a questionnaire concerning their experience with grade retention or a transitional year while in elementary school. In addition, we collected data on past academic performance from the students' school records. Groups of students were composed of former participants in the junior first program, students who had been retained in a grade, and matched controls. Attitudes towards nonpromotion and the junior first program were positive and, among all three groups, there were few important differences in opinion. In high school, however, measures of academic competence indicated there were performance differences between the groups. Participants in the junior first program were at par with peers, whereas grade repeaters made less progress in high school and had lower mathematics grades. The later in school the grade retention, the poorer the academic performance.