"We would like to retain your child another year" is not a statement that any parent wants to hear. Deciding if your child should repeat a grade level in school is a huge decision and should not be made hastily. In reality, it is a decision that could potentially affect your child's life either negatively or positively, depending on the situation.

Especially with consideration to retaining a child in lower grades, such as kindergarten, first or second grade, one must consider many factors. Some will say that another year in kindergarten is good for some children's maturity but, other factors must be considered. If it is just maturity that is holding the student back and all those involved are in agreement that it is just maturity then the decision to retain might be the right decision.

However, if a student shows a delay academically, a lot needs to be considered. For one thing, even in kindergarten, parents must be thinking about when their child will graduate from high school. Retaining a kindergartener does not seem so bad, the child might be 19 instead of 18 when he of she graduates from high school but, what happens if the student is held back again at some point in the future, perhaps third grade? When a child has been held back twice, his or her chances of graduating from high school are diminished. Think about it this way, a child who is held back twice will be 20 years old graduating from high school. A 20 year old is not going to want to be in high school when his or her peers are either out working or in college.

Another factor to take into consideration is many of the rules and policies set by some state boards of education. In an age driven by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, standardized testing has become the main method of assessment for students and schools and, some states have put into place measurements where students must pass certain portions of the standardized test in order to go on to the next grade level. In other words, if a child does not pass the third grade reading portion of the state standardized test, the student, no matter what his or her grades may be, will be retained based on state and district policies. If the child has already been held back earlier, in kindergarten or first grade, the child then will be behind two years.

Deciding to hold a child back in a grade is a major decision that should not be taken lightly. Many factors must be considered when deciding to retain a child in a specific grade. Consideration must be given to the reason for the retention, and whether or not this decision will help or hurt the student in the future. Parents should take their times when making the decision and make sure that they have as much information as possible, so that the right decision is made in the best interest of their child.

Learn more about this author, Heinz Sladek.
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