Abstract

This study validates and adapts the Grade Retention Survey for Chilean fourth-grade school teachers, focusing on their beliefs about the consequences of grade retention. A questionnaire of 17 items was administered to 4297 fourth-grade elementary school teachers across Chile. We analyze the internal consistency, reliability, and unidimensionality of the Beliefs on Consequences of Retention (BCR) scale. The validated version comprises six items and demonstrates excellent psychometric properties. Our results show that teachers’ beliefs about grade retention vary significantly according to school retention rates, administrative dependence, socioeconomic status, and gender—findings similar to those observed in the empirical literature, reaffirming the validity of our scale. Specifically, we found that teachers in public schools or those serving lower socioeconomic communities tend to have more negative views of grade retention. In contrast, female teachers and those in schools with higher retention rates exhibit more positive perceptions. This scale provides valuable insights into teachers’ beliefs about grade retention, as these beliefs may shape the implementation of educational policies aimed at modifying the use of these mechanism. © 2025 by the authors.