- Los Angeles Unified School District
- AB104 Retention
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INTERIM RETENTION PROCESS
Education Code section 48071, as part of Assembly Bill (AB) 104, establishes an interim retention process, applicable only to eligible pupils who were enrolled in Los Angeles Unified schools in grades K-11 during the 2020-2021 school year. An “eligible pupil” is defined as a pupil who has received deficient grades for at least one-half of the pupil’s coursework in the 2020–21 academic year. For purposes of this policy, a deficient grade is a D, F, or a No Pass at the secondary level, or 1s at the elementary level, as determined by the District. By statute, a pupil enrolled in grade 12 during the 2020-2021 school year shall not be eligible for retention under this policy. Parents, which include the natural or adoptive parent or guardian, the person having legal custody or other education rights holder, or a student who is age 18 or older, may request retention under this process. This policy is only in effect for the 2021-2022 school year.
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Next Steps
Schools may begin receiving retention requests under Education Code section 48071/AB 104. A parent, which includes the natural or adoptive parent or guardian, the person having legal custody, or other educational rights holder, may request an application for retention for an eligible pupil. The interim retention process is as follows:
- If a parent wishes to request retention for an eligible pupil, the parent may submit their request in writing or by using the Interim Retention Policy Application form.
- Within thirty (30) calendar days of the parent’s request, the school shall offer a consultation to the parent. The consultation shall include the following information:
- Discussion of all available learning recovery options, including both of the following:
- Specific interventions and supports for the student.
- Access to prior semester courses in which the pupil received a D or F letter grade in the 2020-21 academic year, some other form of credit recovery, or other available supports.
- Consideration of the pupil's academic data and any other information relevant to whether retention is in the pupil's best interests, academically and socially.
- Discussion about research on the effects of pupil retention and the types of interventions and supports that have been shown to be beneficial to pupils.
- Discussion of all available learning recovery options, including both of the following:
- Within ten (10) calendar days of the consultation, the parent will be notified of the District's decision. If the decision is to retain, the pupil shall also be offered supplemental interventions and supports. If the decision is not to retain, the pupil shall be offered specific interventions and supports as well as access to prior semester courses in which the pupil received a D or F letter grade in the 2020-21 academic year, some other form of credit recovery, or other available supports.
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Information and Research About Retention
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What is grade retention?
- Refers to a child repeating current grade level again the following year.
- Also known as non-promotion, flunking, failing, or being held back.
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What is social promotion?
The practice of passing students along from grade to grade with their peers for students who have not satisfied academic requirements or met performance standards at key grades.
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What do educational experts tell us about grade retention?
- Grade retention appears to harm the adjustment of young people leading to lower self-esteem.
- Achievement declines within 2-3 years of retention.
- Students who were retained are 5–11 times more likely to drop out of school.
- Grade retention reduces high school credits.
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What do educational experts tell us about social promotion?
- Promoting a child who has academic or behavioral struggles to the next grade, without additional support, does not help the child.
- Being socially promoted more than once increases the chance that students will be held back in the ninth grade.
- Socially promoted students are aware that they lack mastery of the subject matter and feel insecure, often causing behavioral problems in class.
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What ‘works’ for our students?
- To prevent students from being held back, early action and extra support are the first lines of defense.
- “Promotion plus” (i.e., combining grade promotion with effective interventions) is most likely to benefit children with low achievement or behavioral problems.
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What can schools do?
- Offer preschool programs to enhance language and social skills.
- Offer extended year, extended day, summer school programs, tutoring, and mentoring programs.
- Monitor student progress closely to identify strengths and areas for growth.
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What can parents do?
- Talk to teachers and students about what’s going on at school.
- Enroll children in tutoring, mentoring, and after school programs offered by the District.
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Additional resources on Retention from California Department of Education:
- Jimerson, Shane, Sarah M. Woehr, and Amber M. Kaufman. 2007. Grade Retention and Promotion: Information for Parents (PDF). Bethesda, Maryland: National Association for School Psychologists (accessed April 28, 2016). (Grade retention is one of the most powerful predictors of high school dropout. In adolescence, retained students are more likely to experience problems such as poor interactions with peers, disliking school, behavior problems, and lower self-esteem.)
- Learning Disabilities Association. 1998. To Promote or Retain? Pittsburgh, PA:Learning Disabilities Association (accessed July 6, 2015). (The weight of the evidence of literally hundreds of studies shows that retaining children does not produce higher achievement. Rather than flunking students, schools should provide high quality instruction for children who find learning difficult.)
- Thompson, C. and E. Cunningham. 2000. Retention and Social Promotion: Research and Implications for Policy (PDF). ERIC Digest Number 161 (accessed July 6, 2015). (Retaining students, regardless of the grade at which they are retained, increases the likelihood that they will drop out of school. Consistent with the Chicago findings, the advantage for retained students declined each year and disappeared altogether after three years.)
- California Department of Education regarding students with disabilities and retention (link: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/sr/promoretntn.asp).
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For More Info
LOCAL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS EXEMPTION
PARENT WEBINAR RECORDING (AUGUST 5, 2021)
GRABACIÓN DEL SENARIO WEB PARA PADRES (5 DE AGOSTO 2021)