Third Grade Reading Test

So today in Oklahoma, Congress passed a law that altered, or rather, eased up, the conditions for kids passing the third grade. As it stood, a reading test needed to be passed and said reading test was causing a lot of problems for kids with learning disabilities, test-taking skills, and their ability to speak English. The governor vetoed the bill, but then congress overrode the veto, letting the bill pass anyway.

Now. do I believe that kids should be reading by third grade? Of course I do. I also believe that by that point, they should be able to read well in English and have mastery over a lot of skills. But do I believe that a test should be the factor that dictates if this is actually the case? No, I do not. Now, the original law had stated that SOME kids who met certain requirements could be passed on, but only if they had been retained once before and were in programs to help they catch up. However, beyond that, if a student pass the test, retention to the third grade was automatic.

The new law allows for a committee, composed of the school principle, the third grade reading teacher, a higher-grade teacher, a certified reading specialist, AND the child's parent(s) to decide if a child who doesn't pass the test can still move on to the fourth grade. This will, in some cases, be only probationary and the child will have to take a lot of extra remedial course work in order to help them catch up. I think that is only fair. I think the idea of just passing the kid to the next grade without addressing the problems would be detrimental to the child.

The most important factor in this new standard is that real humans who can interact with the child will be the ones making the decision. Parents who know what the child is capable (and not capable) of doing and professionals who know how to assess progress and potential challenges. Educational assessment can never be a 'one size fits all' because every child learns at a different rate. And yes, some kids may still need to be retained, but for others, it wouldn't help at all. And the last thing we need is a situation where tests are the only thing to decide people's futures.