Three million students in the U.S. have repeated a grade in school, and it can be emotionally devastating for them and their parents. It’s even more troubling for the 13% of public school students who receive special education services.
Holding back or “retaining” special needs children is a complicated issue for which there are no easy answers. Is it appropriate? If it is, when is it appropriate? In this article, we’ll take a look at special education in the U.S. and when children receiving services may be held back a grade.
The Law
Special education in the United States is governed by The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The law says that children with disabilities should receive free, public education and should also receive appropriate services.
The IDEA provides the rules for states and public agencies that determine how they provide early intervention and special education services to infants, toddlers, children, and teens with disabilities. 6.5 million children receive those services in the U.S.
Every child in public school who receives special education services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This is a critical piece of information to understand when it comes to the issue of holding back special needs children.
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
An IEP is a formal plan for every special education student. Under the law, parents can request an evaluation for their child, if they’re concerned their child may have a disability that affects their academic performance. A teacher or other education professional can also ask for an evaluation. It’s mandatory to have the child evaluated before an IEP can be created.
The evaluation will take a look at how the child is functioning physically, emotionally, academically, and socially. Does the child have trouble seeing or hearing? Is he able to move well on his own? Does he retain information well? If not, does he retain information given verbally better than when he reads instructions? Does he interact appropriately with other children? Is there a history of abuse that affects his performance in school?
The results of the evaluation will then be used to determine if he’s eligible for special education services, and if he is, what those services will be.
The IEP is developed by a team of people that includes teachers, administrators, special education professionals, the child’s parent(s), and when appropriate, the child himself.
The IEP will include things like the child’s performance in school. Where are they succeeding? Where are they having trouble? The official language for this “present levels of educational performance”.
A lot of this information will come from things like tests and homework assignments. It will also include observations from teachers, parents, and school staff. The critical information will involve the ways his disability affects his school work. For example, if a child has a hearing problem, the IEP will define how that hearing problem affects his ability to receive information and perform well on tests.
The IEP will also include specific, annual goals for the student. These are things that everyone involved agrees that the child is capable of accomplishing in a year. They could be academic goals, behavioral goals, physical goals, or a combination. They also have to be measurable, so the goals won’t include vague language like “be nice to other students”.
The IEP will also address how the child will be evaluated on state and/or district testing. It will spell out exactly what, if any, accommodations will be made for the child. For example, some children with reading difficulties may get extra time to take their exams.
The IEP must be evaluated every year to make sure the child is on track. That’s why we said earlier that the IEP is so important to the issue of holding back children with special needs. The IEP review will look closely at whether the child is achieving his annual goals.
This is the time when teachers, parents, and administrators will determine if the IEP needs to be revised. If the child isn’t making his goals, the IEP might need to be changed.
The concept of providing an appropriate education for special needs children was was recently reaffirmed by the U.S Supreme Court in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. The court ruled that school districts must offer students with disabilities an IEP that both allows them to make progress and provides them with a challenging program.
What Services Might Be Provided?
The school must, by law, provide a student with services that are appropriate to his disability and that will allow him to succeed in school. These might include:
- Audiology services
- Counseling
- Medical services
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- School health services
- Social work services in school
- Speech-language pathology services
- Transportation
Additionally, the student might receive accommodations or changes to the way a course is taught, the way he studies, or the way he takes a test. He might be allowed to take untimed tests, for example. Or, he might be allowed to respond verbally to test questions, instead of writing out his answers.
Again, the services and/or accommodations are provided specifically for his disability. He would be graded just like other students in areas where he does not have a disability.
Can Special Needs Children Be Held Back a Grade?
Legally, yes. A child with an IEP and therefore, a diagnosed disability can be held back a grade. The question for parents and educators is, should the child be held back?
Retaining a special education student is almost always done as a last resort when all other methods of support aren’t working. Because again, the services, modifications, and accommodations are supposed to be developed to help the child achieve his annual goals. The IEP is designed to help the child master the curriculum for his grade, as required by the IDEA.
So, if a child is performing far below grade level, the first question to ask is where, exactly, is the child is having trouble? Are there specific areas that are causing problems for the child? Is the problem area related to his disability?
If so, then the first step will be to re-evaluate the IEP and make changes, if necessary. For example, if the child has a diagnosed anxiety disorder, a change to the test-taking environment may be in order. The child’s goals may also need to be re-examined. Are they appropriately challenging, or are they simply too much?
In some cases, a special needs student performs poorly because of elements that aren’t related to his disability at all. In these cases, teachers and school administrators may engage the student’s parents to determine what else may be affecting his performance.
Poor attendance plagues students with and without disabilities and can significantly affect a student’s academic performance. In this case, a student may miss so much school that he falls behind in his work, fails test after test, and has no idea how to complete his homework.
In other cases, the student may not be receiving adequate support at home for his individual needs. Parents or guardians may not be enforcing or supporting homework time. The student may have experienced an illness unrelated to his disability that kept him out of class for a long period of time.
If the child is young, say in kindergarten, it may be appropriate under these circumstances to have him repeat the year. Older students, however, may experience such significant emotional distress at being held back, it’s worth exploring other options.
Some studies have shown that teenagers who are held back a year reported lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression. This is especially true for students with disabilities who already experience a sense of being “different” from their peers. Issues like that have been linked to higher drop-out rates among both disabled and non-disabled students.
Other studies have shown students rated grade retention as their most stressful life event, even higher than the loss of a parent. Retained students are less likely to receive a high school diploma by age 20 and are less likely to be enrolled in any post-secondary education program.
Alternatives to Keeping a Child Back
The National Association of School Psychologists has developed a list of alternatives to retaining a special needs student to try and avoid the emotional and psychological issues that may develop. Among them:
- Offer extended year, extended day, and summer programs that focus on developing the needed academic skills
- Implement tutoring and mentoring programs with peer or adult tutors
- Incorporate comprehensive school-wide programs to promote the psychological, social, and academic skills of all students
Final Thoughts on Special Needs Children Education
Federal law requires public school districts to provide an education to special needs children. It is also required to give them the necessary services and support. Holding a special education student back is legal and appropriate in some situations. However, special care should be given to ensure the child’s IEP is functioning the way it should. It’s also important for parents to make sure the school and the teachers are implementing it correctly. This way, every child has every opportunity to succeed.
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