Just what is the best approach to getting more 3rd graders reading on grade level has become the subject of a dispute between local and state officials and between political parties in New Mexico.
New Mexico has a law that allows, but doesn鈥檛 require, students to be retained if they are behind in 3rd grade reading. Earlier this month, the education department released information showing that most of the state鈥檚 3rd graders weren鈥檛 proficient on a state reading test鈥攁nd that more than 96 percent of those students were promoted to the 4th grade anyway.
The state鈥檚 education secretary, Hanna Skandera, said that most students鈥� parents hadn鈥檛 received a letter from school officials notifying them that their child鈥檚 reading levels weren鈥檛 where they should be, the
But school districts pushed back against Skandera鈥檚 assertion that the state鈥檚 parents don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on, the reports. Officials from several school districts said the state law doesn鈥檛 require them to send official letters notifying parents, and that districts communicated the information to parents in other ways.
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, a Republican, has supported bills that would make retention for those 3rd graders who don鈥檛 score proficient on a reading test mandatory. This year, she mentioned 3rd grade reading in her. A Republican representative told the Santa Fe New Mexican that another bill that would prohibit 鈥渟ocial promotion鈥� and require 3rd graders to pass the test will likely be introduced this session. But Democrats鈥攚ho make up the majority of the state鈥檚 House and Senate鈥攈ave vowed to oppose it again.
There鈥檚 a reason New Mexicans are concerned about reading. The state has among the lowest adult literacy rates in the country, and its K-12 education system was recently ranked 49th in the country on Education Week鈥檚 . The state鈥檚 legislature is considering bills that would address a budget crunch by cutting spending on K-12 schools, among other things.
As of last October, 16 states and the District of Columbia require students who aren鈥檛 reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade to be retained, according to the . Fourteen of those allow some exceptions, and eight additional states (including New Mexico) allow students to be retained for not being proficient at the end of 3rd grade but don鈥檛 require it.
As in New Mexico, such laws have often proved controversial. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed a new 3rd grade reading law in , but the law attracted along the way. A group of Florida parents led an against using reading test scores to determine retention.
In Mississippi, was recently strengthened鈥攕tudents must not score in either of the bottom two categories on the state鈥檚 standardized test in order to pass the grade, unless they fall into a few excepted categories such as having an IEP or being an English-language learner. The state just joined the , a national set of efforts to improve early literacy. But many parents have , saying there had to be a better way to get more students reading earlier.
And there鈥檚 often variation in how schools and districts implement such policies. My colleague Liana Heitin and found that most students who hadn鈥檛 passed the test weren鈥檛 actually repeating 3rd grade.
My colleague Sarah Sparks reported that research suggests that holding students back may not have positive academic effects, and that some students are still developing reading skills later in elementary school.
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