It is encouraging to note that there are many alternatives to traditional practices of grade retention and promotion. None are as cut-and-dried as saying to a student "you pass" or "you fail." Instead, these alternatives require the ongoing commitment of educators, parents, and students. Though none can guarantee success, they can work to provide students with the extra assistance that might make the difference. Special emphasis should be given to early intervention; catching problems when they first appear in a child's school career can negate many other issues that could otherwise emerge in later grades. Ideally, schools should provide several levels and types of interventions to students throughout the year (not just at the end, when failure seems imminent). Suggested alternatives include:

• Use assessments that measure student success in different ways. Students must be given the opportunity to demonstrate their success in a variety of ways. Standardized tests cannot be the only measure of achievement. Portfolio and performance assessments are examples of other types of assessment that can provide educators with a more accurate picture of student learning. In addition, there should be continuity of assessment methods from grade to grade, and from teacher to teacher.
• Encourage parent involvement. The positive effect parent involvement has upon student achievement can not be disputed. Parent involvement can make a critical difference for a borderline student. There are many ways parents can be involved with their child's education, and it is important that schools help them discover what type of involvement might best benefit their child (Epstein, 1996; Jimerson et al., 1997).
• Vary instructional approaches. Offering children different ways of learning is critical in addressing unique learning styles and needs. Individualized instruction, mixed-age classes, creative grouping, reduced class size, scheduling modifications, and the use of volunteer aides are just a few strategies that can provide instructional variety (Robertson, 1997).
• Provide students at risk of failing with one-on-one guidance. An advisor/advisee relationship between a student and a counselor, teacher, or other mentor can offer the individualized attention many students desperately need to succeed (Robertson, 1997). Together they can design a personal education plan that will help the student set learning goals, break tasks down into manageable chunks, and make him or her accountable for academic achievement.
• Institute a learning resource program. A learning resource program is a specialized outreach designed to assist students at risk of failing. It can be a single course, a self-contained classroom, or an alternative school. Such programs are unique and should be tailored to the specific needs of a school and the students it serves. Students can be identified for the program in a number of ways: referral by staff, self, or parents; excessive absenteeism; lagging academic performance; or behavioral difficulties. The goal of such a program is to offer these students targeted academic remediation, study-skills strategies, and interpersonal communication ideas that increase their chances of academic success (McDonald & Bean, 1991).
• Use tutoring or mentoring. Tutoring and mentoring are strategies that can be incredibly powerful tools for student remediation. Tutoring generally has an academic focus, while mentoring is about positive role modeling (though it can include academics as a component). Both are very flexible in structure and can involve students working with other students, teachers working with students, or adult volunteers working with students. Regardless of the arrangement, the resulting situation is often beneficial for both parties. Both tutoring and mentoring are relatively inexpensive strategies that can be used in any school and with students of different ages.
• Offer students alternative or additional education choices. There will always be some students who do not succeed in traditional school environments in the typical amount of time allotted. School systems can provide students with options such as satellite-learning programs that target specialized learning needs, career-focused academies, after-school learning laboratories, or summer school institutes. Give students opportunities for different types of projects and hands-on learning experiences (Devries & Cohn, 1998).

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