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Few States Require Promotion Exams

Nearly ten years ago, in his 1998 State of the Union Address, President Bill Clinton asserted that "it is time to end social promotion in America's schools." Social promotion is the practice of moving students from grade to grade with their classmates despite their failure to meet academic standards. It is known as social promotion because it is sometimes motivated by a desire to enhance students' social lives and self-esteem by keeping them with their same-age peers. However, Clinton contended that "when we promote a child from grade to grade who hasn't mastered the work, we don't do that child any favors" ( CNN , January 27, 1998) . Like-minded policymakers have seen state-mandated assessment policies, including those that call for students to pass a statewide promotion exam to advance to the next grade, as potential tools for combating the practice. This Stat of the Week examines the number of states currently requiring promotion exams and the trend in state adoption of...