Discretion and Inequity: Third Grade Reading and Retention Policy in Indiana

Indiana is one of 19 states across the US that have passed legislation around third-grade reading proficiency, many of which provide guidance on retaining students who do not meet grade-level expectations. Analyzing data from the Indiana Department of Education, this analysis uses logistic and linear regression to examine the ways that retention policy, whether test-based or discretionary, shifts which students are most likely to be retained and subsequently, its impacts on student achievement. Findings suggest that upon the introduction of student and school-level controls, Black students are more likely to be retained than their white peers under test-based retention, but this is not the case during discretionary periods. Furthermore, results suggest that students retained under the test-based policy consistently score lower than their peers retained under the pre-policy period for the four outcomes analyzed, 4^th and 5th-grade language arts and math.