Background/Context: Students designated as English Learners (ELs) account for 10.4 percent of all students nationwide but have historically been provided unequal access to educational resources (Gándara et al., 2003; National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). Further, education policies are often blind to ELs' strengths and challenges, typically framing ELs' needs as only in the domain of language learning (Gándara & Rumberger, 2009; Ruiz, 1984). Though a growing body of literature examines the effect of policies targeted to ELs (i.e. reclassification, dual language programs), there is a lack of evidence on whether broad education policies are beneficial for ELs. My paper responds to this gap by estimating the effect of grade retention on ELs' education and labor market outcomes in Texas. Grade retention has long been a practice implemented across American schools. Advocates posit that an extra year will provide students with time to catch up academically and acquire foundational skills needed for subsequent grades (Goos et al., 2021). This additional year may act as a gateway for ELs to help them develop English language skills. Conversely, grade retention is a gatekeeper policy because it increases students' stress and likelihood of dropping out, which is particularly concerning for ELs who are already at a higher risk (Anderson et al., 2005; Goos et al., 2021). The causal literature on test-based retention finds positive effects for students in early grades when retention is combined with support for students. However, achievement gains typically attenuate over time and often do not translate into higher high school completion rates (Greene & Winters, 2007; Hwang & Koedel, 2023; Jacob & Lefgren, 2004, 2009; Mumma & Winters, 2023; Schwerdt et al., 2017; Winters & Greene, 2012). Conversely, 8th-grade retention typically leads to null or worse outcomes (Eren et al., 2017; Larsen & Valant, 2023). Only one consequential study has examined test-based grade retention's effects on ELs finding positive effects on students' short-term academic outcomes in Florida (Figlio & Özek, 2020). The current paper builds on this study to provide evidence of grade retention on ELs' in a different context, in multiple grades (3rd, 5th, and 8th), and on postsecondary access and earnings. Research questions: (1) What is the causal effect of grade retention on ELs' short- and long-term educational and labor market outcomes, including English proficiency, high school completion, college graduation, and earnings? (2) Does the effect of retention differ across student subgroups or school characteristics? Setting and Policy Intervention: Texas enacted grade advancement requirements for 3rd-, 5th-, and 8th-grade students tied to performance on the state standardized tests in the early 2000s. Third-grade students had to pass the reading section of the state standardized test (TAKS) while students in grades 5 and 8 had to pass both the reading and mathematics sections to be promoted to the next academic year (TEC §28.0211, 1999). Students could take each assessment up to three times. Students who failed the first administration had to receive accelerated instruction in the subject they failed before retaking the test. Students who failed the third administration were retained unless the Grade Placement Committee (GPC) unanimously decided to promote them to the next grade level. Data: I use Texas data which include information on student demographics, graduation, English proficiency, standardized test scores, postsecondary enrollment, and earnings in Texas. The data also include school and district-level characteristics and expenditures in initiatives for retained students. Approximately 700,000 ELs were enrolled in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades between 2005 and 2011 in Texas public schools. I focus my analysis on these years because it allows for longer-term investigation of student outcomes of interest (e.g., college graduation, and wages). ELs in the analytical sample come from economically disadvantaged households, identify themselves as Latinos, and have low English Language skills. Research Design and Analysis: I use an RD analysis that exploits Texas's use of test thresholds for grade retention decisions. This approach identifies causal estimates in the local area around the threshold. Because students could retake TAKS and retention decisions were based on students' final scores, I estimate the effect of grade retention using students' scores in the third administration. To measure the impact of retention (after receiving accelerated instruction) I estimate an RD model for each outcome. The model includes a function linking students' scores to outcomes, an indicator of whether the student scored below the given threshold for retention, and an interaction term to allow the relationship between scores and outcomes to vary on each side of the cutoff (see the pdf attachment for the equation). The coefficient on the indicator for scoring below the threshold is the local Intent-to-Treat estimate. My outcome variables include English language proficiency, years to attain reclassification as English proficient, high school graduation, postsecondary entry and graduation, and earnings. I also estimate treatment-on-treated (TOT) estimates using a fuzzy RD to account for imperfect compliance. The first stage regression uses the ITT equation with the dependent variable as whether the student was retained. The second stage uses the predicted probability of retention to examine the effect on the outcomes of interests. I use a frontier RD to account for the multiple variables determining retention for 5th- and 8th-graders. For example, I limit the sample to students who failed the reading test and estimate the effect of marginally failing the math test and being retained. Analytical Strategy for RQ2: I conduct a subgroup analysis to estimate the effect of grade retention based on student and school characteristics. I estimate the models described above for each subgroup: time students spent under EL classification (1-3 years vs 4 or more years), school resources for retained students (low vs high per-pupil expenditures), and concentration of ELs. Preliminary Results: Preliminary results suggest that students who score below the threshold for retention take an additional half year to achieve reclassification as fully English proficient and are 6.6 percentage points more likely to graduate from high school. The TOT estimates show that third-grade retention increases the time of reclassification by 2.5 years and increases the probability of graduation by 31 percentage points.