LANSING (WKZO-AM) — Gov. Rick Snyder has approved a third-grade reading bill that will require that a student be proficient at reading before they will be allowed to graduate to the fourth grade.
A lot of exceptions were added to the proposal before it passed because many educators had expressed concerns about the one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with children.
Sponsor Amanda Price of Holland said it’s not about retention. She says it’s really about making sure that students are ready so that it never becomes an issue.
Schools Superintendent Michael Rice said it’s a better bill than it was, it does nothing to help districts teach kids to read. If they are going to provide the tutors and reading specialist, they will need additional revenue.
Rice said all children learn at different rates, some have learning disabilities and some just bloom later than others. He is predicting that a great many kids will be spending extra years in the third grade because of the bill.
The mandate doesn’t kick in until 2019.
