Child Should Continue to Next Grade

My daughter did fine in third grade but needed Individual Education Plans in first and second grade. In the early part of this year, she was struggling, so the school set up an IEP to help her. Most of the tests show she is at the average or slightly below level for fourth grade.
Now we are wondering if we should keep our child in fourth grade for one more year as we see her frustration with simple math and reading comprehension. Her teachers all say she is doing fine but say that if we hold her back, fourth grade is a good place, as she is still learning basic skills. Any suggestions? - Uncertain
Answer: When the school says your child is doing fine, why would you even consider holding her back? Retention does not help most students as much as parents tend to believe. When children who are held back are matched with similar students who are promoted, the promoted children typically achieve more, and those who were held back lag even further behind after repeating a grade.
You already know that the interventions that were written into your daughter's IEPs helped her in first and second grade. It looks like the support that the IEP provided for your daughter should have continued in third grade. Now that the support is back in place she will possibly need special help next year and in the future. This should be a better plan than retention. Because you see your daughter struggling, why don't you get back to the IEP team and focus on exactly what special help she needs now? Also discuss with the team what special help could be provided for her during the summer to make school easier for her next year. This help should be designed to strengthen her basic skills.