The effects of pre-first-grade programs on student reading and mathematics achievement

✍ Scribed by Nancy A. Southard; Deborah C. May

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 793 KB
• Volume: 33
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0033-3085
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6807(199604)33:2<132::aid-pits6>3.0.co;2-t

✦ Synopsis

Pre-first programs and grade retentions have been ways that school personnel have attempted to address the problem of school failure. However, the benefits of these practices on student achievement have not been consistently supported in the research literature. This study investigated both the short-and long-term effects of pre-first programs on students' academic achievement in reading and mathematics, using three comparison groups. No significant differences were found in six of the eight analyses conducted, indicating few, if any, positive effects from the pre-first program.

Grade retention and its benefits for later student academic success has been a controversial educational issue for years. One side of the argument is that when a student exhibits academic deficiencies or is perceived to be unready for the next grade level, it is only right to give the student a year to "catch up." The counterargument is that the possible negative effects, questionable academic benefits, and sacrificed year of the child's life outweigh the possible benefits of retention. Since research findings do not consistently support the presumed academic benefits of retention (Abidin, Golladay &