In 1997, 31% of third graders and about 20% of sixth and eighth graders were excluded from Chicago's promotional test-score policy, with bilingual education the main exclusion reason in third grade and special education in sixth and eighth¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1999 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2002: local conditions change quickly

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In the first year of the policy, 31% of third graders and 20% of sixth and eighth graders were not subject to the promotional test-score cutoff, with bilingual status the primary exclusion reason for third graders and special education for older grades. → Melissa Roderick 1999

Evidence¶

Melissa Roderick 1999¶

Melissa Roderick, Anthony S. Bryk, Brian A. Jacob, John Q. Easton, Elaine Allensworth. (1999). Ending Social Promotion: Results from the First Two Years. Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/ending-social-promotion-results-first-two-years

q2 · i? · causal · r1

Analysis of administrative records for first-time third, sixth, and eighth graders in spring 1997 shows "Thirty-one percent of third graders and 20 percent of sixth and eighth graders were not subject to the policy," with grade-specific exclusion reasons as printed.

"Thirty-one percent of third graders and 20 percent of sixth and eighth graders were not subject to the policy. For third graders, participation in bilingual education was the primary reason for exclusion. For sixth and eighth graders, classification in special education programs was the primary reason for exclusion."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• English-Learner Status — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• CPS sharply reduced the number of non-graded (grade 20) special education students of grades 3-8 age, from 6,180 in 1992 to 773 in 1999 — related
• Waivers promoted about one-third of third graders and 40% of sixth and eighth graders who failed the 1997 promotional criteria, keeping retention rates well below failure rates — related
• Changes in CPS bilingual education testing policy drove drops in test-score inclusion, especially the fourth-grade inclusion drop in 1999 and the third-grade drop in 1997 — related
• The 1998-99 CPS bilingual education policy overhaul shifted thousands of students into the tested-but-excluded category, raising tested-and-included counts by more than 12,000 — related
• Summer Bridge's second chance substantially raised promotion rates: by August 1997, 68% of included third graders, 79% of sixth graders, and 83% of eighth graders had met the cutoff — related
• Students who failed both reading and math made up the majority of retained students, and fewer than 20% of them passed both subjects in Summer Bridge — related
• Passing rates under the Chicago promotional policy increased in all three grades from 1997 to 1999, mostly during the school year rather than Summer Bridge — related
• Retained students struggled in their second time through the promotional policy, with only about half meeting cutoffs and eighth graders doing worst — related
• Only 43% of retained third graders and 47% of retained sixth graders met the test criteria by summer 1998 despite four chances, yet over two-thirds were promoted the next year largely due to waivers — related
• Sixth graders promoted in 1997 without meeting the test cutoff fared poorly at the eighth-grade gate, while Summer Bridge passers did relatively well — related