Six times more third-graders may flunk next year under Michigan reading law
More than 5,000 third-graders – five percent across the state - may be held back from advancing to fourth grade following the 2019-20 school year because of Michigan’s “read or flunk” law, which takes effect this fall.
That’s a more than six-fold increase over the number of third-graders who were held back in 2017-18 (777 students), but a far smaller number than had been feared would flunk as a result of the law, which requires third-graders to be reading at a second-grade level or higher by the end of third grade.
The Michigan Department of Education informed public schools Thursday of the score on the third grade state assessment test, the M-STEP, that would trigger the possibility of a student being held back. That cut score, according to the letter, would have corresponded to 5 percent of third-graders being subject to being held back in 2017-18, if the law had been in effect that school year.
Another 17.5 percent of those students would have had scores low enough to qualify for additional support but advance to fourth grade; 77.5 percent would meet the reading requirement.
Read more: https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-education/six-times-more-third-graders-may-flunk-next-year-under-michigan-reading-law
