During the Alabama State Board of Education’s monthly meeting, State School Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey announced that preliminary data from some school districts indicates that nearly 1,800 third-graders will be held back this school year due to poor reading scores.
School districts have until September 16 to submit their results to the Alabama Department of Education before the numbers will be finalized.
Mackey noted that students have always been held back for poor reading performance, but now there is the component of the Alabama Literacy Act. The Literacy Act went into full effect in the 2023-2024 school year and ensures that all students are proficient in reading before leaving 3rd grade.
The benchmark for third graders represents a shift from students learning to read to students reading to learn. Without these critical skills, children cannot use this foundation to gain knowledge in other subjects.
In the spring, test results showed that nearly 5,000 third-graders had not yet met the fourth-grade reading requirements. Just over 3,000 third-graders retook the tests in the summer, and of those students, 1,337 met the requirements.
Although the decision to reject children is important at any age, it is best to do so in the earliest grade possible.
“The later students are held back, the worse the social outcomes are,” Mackey said. “That’s why third grade is not considered the beginning. It’s the last effort, so to speak.”
At least 1,000 third-graders are expected to be promoted under the “good cause” program. Students who are learning English or who were previously deferred but are now receiving individualized education programs make up some groups who will be allowed to advance to the next grade under the “good cause” program.
Students who do not advance to the next grade receive more attention from teachers and more time to read each day to eventually close the gap.
Mackey also mentioned that the cut score change will be discussed at an upcoming closed session and the matter will then be brought up at a public work session in September, with a possible vote in October.
By lowering the minimum score, teachers can be more confident that students who do not meet the benchmark will not succeed in the next grade.
