PISA In Focus

From Josu Sierra

When students repeat grades or are transferred out of school:
What does it mean for education systems?

High rates of grade repetition can be costly for countries.
• In countries where more students repeat grades, overall performance tends to be lower and social background has a stronger impact on learning outcomes than in countries where fewer students repeat grades. The same outcomes are found in countries where it is more common to transfer weak or disruptive students out of a school.
• Countries with fewer options to transfer students use other means to work with struggling students, such as giving more autonomy to schools to design curricula and assessments.