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Fun fact on why Missisipi, of all the places, improved: they introduced a law that a child cannot be promoted to next year if they do not pass reading proficiency test.
Who knew the shame of repeating a year can be motivator enough for kids and parents.
To point the problem more clearly.
If student Numbskull repeats the grade. That means the their low scores affect you in Year 1 and Year 2. That's funding directly affecting you, your compensation, your ability to remain employed for you, the teacher, and all of the admin staff.
It's much better (for you) to push them along and make them someone else's problem.
It's like the Peter Principal in action.
They don’t take the test until grade 4, so repeating grade 3 does not impact funding being student population.
it’s more than that: they’ve been hiring literacy coaches to sit in on and improve literacy classes across the state and increasing government reach into local education
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/10/podcasts/the-daily/mississippi-schools-test-scores.html
It also looks like the bar started very, very low.
Decades of studies have shown that retention, repeating grades, is not beneficial for any stakeholder.
Well schools have been forcing teachers to pass failing students for at least a decade now, and look at how that's going.
I never said there's not a problem, just saying that's not the answer. Like, factually.
Except the one right here in front of your eyes
Which one is that? I don't see it.
Clearly
Does stakeholder here mean shareholder? As in, it’s not good for the capitalists to ensure that students are forced to actually learn things?
Flippant anti-capitalism aside, I’m skeptical of your claim, but I would love to see a source if you have one to share.
There have been studies done since before I became a teacher. And now that I'm retired, I'm talking about decades of research:
The source also brings up the racist underpinnings that too often support holding kids back. I said before, but just to reiterate, there is a problem that needs to be addressed, but retention is demonstrably not the answer.
Thanks for responding. Yeah that makes sense.
"Stakeholder" is simply anyone who will be effected by "x". whether "x" is a policy change, or something as simple as choosing a new brand of peanut butter for your family.
"Who are the people who will be effected by this?"
In Project Management you're taught that one of the first things you do when implementing a change or starting a new project, etc... Is to Identify the stakeholders.
I'm sure there's a more concise definition, but I just woke up.
My state repealed a law a few years ago that required holding kids back who failed the 3rd grade test.
They're soon going to learn Goodhart's Law if they don't already.
Thank you for this. I've been saying basically the same thing for years. Didn't know there was a term for it.