Relation between repetition of school year, academic performance and equality in education. The contributions of PISA

Abstract

The body of this article is the analysis of research conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) since 2000, the date of the first PISA report, the last, published in 2015, in order to track the evidence provided about the educational value of the grade repetition and the circumstances that concur in this repetition. PISA assessments have become an international benchmark given the large number of countries and participating students, their frequency and the complexity of their analyzes. Their findings provide information that influence the setting of more inclusive educational policies, innovations and educational practices, particularly in European countries. The analysis of the results of these assessments shows that the grade repetition is not the most adequate measure to counteract the school misadaptations of the students belonging to socially vulnerable groups, and seem to be contributing to the inequality in education during compulsory schooling. Spain appears among the countries with a high number of repetitive students. In short, the school and social vulnerability of repetitive students can and must be predicted from the school itself and be combated with innovative, demanding and inclusive practices that substitute or minimize grade repetition.