In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action significantly reduced grade retention, with an effect size of 1.09 and an improvement index of +36¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr?·q3·i3large
Currency · newest study 2007 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i3 Grade retention differed significantly favoring intervention schools (1 versus 6 students retained per 1,000; effect size 1.09). → WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action 2007
Evidence¶
WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action 2007¶
WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action. (2007). What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. http://www.positiveaction.net
q3 · i3 · causal · r?
School-level archival data from the Hawaii randomized controlled trial (20 schools, 2,660 grade 5 students) show retention of "1 to 1,000 students" in Positive Action schools versus 6 per 1,000 in comparison schools, a statistically significant difference with WWC-computed effect size 1.09 and improvement index +36.
"Grade retention Grade 5 20/2,660 1 to 1,000 students 6 to 1,000 students 0.01 1.09 Statistically significant"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- The WWC's extent of evidence for Positive Action is moderate to large for behavior and academic achievement, with no qualifying studies addressing knowledge, attitudes, and values — related
- In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action showed no statistically significant effects on state standardized test scores in reading and math — related
- In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action reduced serious violence among boys but not among girls — related
- Positive Action has positive effects on elementary school students' behavior, with a WWC domain average effect size of 0.51 and an improvement index of +19 percentile points — a broader claim this one bears on
- Positive Action has positive effects on elementary school students' academic achievement, with a WWC domain average effect size of 0.37 and an improvement index of +14 percentile points — a broader claim this one bears on
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
positive-action-reduces-grade-retention |
title |
In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action significantly reduced grade retention, with an effect size of 1.09 and an improvement index of +36 |
description |
In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action significantly reduced grade retention, with an effect size of 1.09 and an improvement index of +36 |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2007 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-07 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — wwc-intervention-report-positive-action-2007 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.