Opinion: Our kids need more literacy support, not the threat of failing third grade
Michigan students had a heavy weight lifted off their shoulders Friday, as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation removing a state mandate that required third graders be held back for underperforming on a single standardized reading test.
I’ve seen that stress on students firsthand. After 16 years of teaching other grade levels, I stepped into the classroom last fall as a third grade teacher for the first time. This was an intentional choice; I wanted to use my expertise as a reading specialist and early reading teacher to support third graders’ abilities as readers, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic.
This transition has been full of joy and awe as I have watched my students blossom into voracious bookworms, each growing tremendously since the beginning of the school year. They came into the classroom with an expansive range of abilities, but I have strived to nurture and support each of them to build confidence and competency as readers, both for pleasure and learning.
Despite these gains, a challenge has loomed ahead. The M-STEP standardized test is coming next month, and the stress is palpable, for students and educators alike. This will be my third graders’ first experience with the process of high-stakes standardized testing, and it will become their annual routine for years to come. No matter how we as educators present the structure and purpose of tests like the M-STEP, students feel the invisible pressures that surround these tests.
Thankfully, the pressure on these young students has been significantly alleviated by the repeal of the 2016 “Read by Grade Three” law’s retention mandate. While there are good elements to the law, the retention requirement was a punitive mandate that harmed students instead of helping them.
Research shows that holding students back does not generally improve long-term reading proficiency. Moreover, retention often has a profound psychological impact on students — one that’s likely to be made even worse for young students whose first years of schooling were in the throes of the pandemic. Finally, retention disproportionately harms students of color and those in low-income communities.
Instead of punitive consequences, supporting struggling students should center on fundamental and long-standing systemic solutions. Now that the third grade retention requirement has been removed, our energy and focus must be on building a better support structure to help students learn to read — from kindergarten through third grade and beyond.
One of the key challenges remaining in current law is a requirement that students’ reading proficiency be tested within the first 30 days of kindergarten.
In 2021, I was honored as Michigan’s Teacher of the Year for my work with kindergarteners, so I know these young learners well. Each year, I’d spend the first few months acclimating them to school, which included helping students feel comfortable and confident in routines, developing community and learning the fundamentals of what to do in a classroom environment. It wasn't until later in the school year that, when necessary, reading assessments were academically meaningful to support each student's individual learning needs. The law must be changed to acknowledge that fact and respect educators’ expertise about how and when to take these critical first measurements.
Further literacy work also must be fully fostered by the reading law, including:
Providing schools with large-scale resources and support to hire literacy coaches, who can help support classroom teachers in their reading instruction.
Expanding professional development opportunities for educators to build their expertise in reading strategies, both for K-3 and older students.
Ensuring the time and ability to forge meaningful plans between teachers and families, so we can work as partners to support the literacy needs of all students.
Every child has potential, and it’s incumbent upon us as adults to help them learn, grow and fulfill that potential — not punish them if they fall behind. Repealing the third-grade reading retention requirement is a great first step that must be followed by additional commonsense reading reforms that provide our students with the support they deserve.
Leah Porter is a third-grade teacher in Holt Public Schools and Michigan’s 2021-22 Teacher of the Year.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Opinion: Third grade reading retention was bad for Michigan kids
