EPIC IN THE NEWS
Michigan 3rd grade reading law no longer requires students to be held back
DATE: March 24, 2023
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill Friday that strikes from law a requirement to hold back third graders who fail a reading proficiency test.
“Today, we are taking action to put power back into parents’ hands so they can work with their child’s teachers and make decisions that are best for their family,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Getting this done will offer parents more flexibility and ensure educators can focus on doing what they do best — helping students reach their full potential.”
A report from Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative found that in the spring of 2022, nearly 6% of third graders received test scores that made them eligible to repeat the grade under the reading law. The report also found that school districts that mostly instructed students remotely during the 2020-21 school year recorded the highest share of students flagged to be held back another year.
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