LANSING, Mich. — The "Read by Grade 3 Law" passed in 2016 is getting a new chapter.
Tara Kilbride is the Interim Associate Director at the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative at MSU's College of Education.
She explained that the law sought to identify struggling students through reading assessment scores throughout the year. And if a student's English test score is more than one year below grade level by the end of third grade, the student would be help back.
Although, that wasn't always happening.
Kilbride explained, "What we've been seeing in the years that the policy was in place was that school districts and families were choosing those options and exemptions instead of having students repeat the 3rd grade in most cases."
Examples include students who were proficient in other areas, were enrolled in a district for less than two years, or if their parents submitted requests to avoid retention.
But now, under a new amendment, those exemptions won't be needed because students won't be required to be held back.
"There is a cost in terms of the amount of time that they are in school, a social cost in not moving ahead with your peers," Kibride told me. "Financial costs, one less year in your life where you are in the workforce and earning a wage. A lot of costs without a clear evidence of benefit."
Kilbride mentioned that many teachers are in support of this updated legislation, saying the retention policy may have created added stress for students and families. But opposers like former teacher, Representative Brad Paquette (R) think retainment has it's place in the policy.
"The aspect of failure is very important with regard to learning," Paquette said. "That element of being retained I think is a huge motivator for any kid that wants to keep up with his grade level."
According to Paquette, 90% of students that were eligible to be retained weren't, due to exceptions, and that the requirement of retainment was never sturdy enough to put most kids in negative situations.
"If there was a child that would be severely impacted from retention, there are a wide amount of tools to exempt whether it be from the superintendent standpoint, parent standpoint, groups of teachers come together," Paquette told me. "There are a lot of people that would not retain a child if it was severely detrimental to them."
But Kilbride believes that school districts have an opportunity to prep their students for bright futures, and says it's still important that districts monitor literacy development going forward.
"There are clearly a lot of students in Michigan still that are struggling with these skills," Kilbride said.
This amendment has already gone into effect, meaning third graders today will not be required to be held back.
