The state Senate has approved legislation that would allow schools to hold children back if they’re not reading proficiently by the end of the third grade.
But this bill is not as stringent as earlier versions.
It allows parents and a school superintendent to decide whether to let a child who is not reading at grade level to move onto the fourth grade.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Phil Pavlov said the new version puts more resources into early intervention and parental involvement, instead of simply holding kids back.
“And I hope that, in the end, we greatly reduce the number of kids who are struggling in the third grade,” Pavlov said.
Pavlov says early intervention in school is just one requirement of the legislation.
“There’s training. There’s testing,” Pavlov said. “But there’s also putting the parent in the equation as well. So, I think when we get all three, all four of those components together, then our chances of success are much better.”
The bill now goes back to the state House.
