Representative Richard Nelson (R)
A House-approved bill that would hold back third-graders who score in the bottom tier in state reading assessments continues to move through the Legislature. Mandeville Representative Richard Nelson says the state has a literacy problem and this legislation is designed to make sure students who reach the fourth grade can read at an adequate level.
“I would say the first year you implement this is going to be the year you probably hold back the most and as those other students get these more intensive remediations and as the system actually improves and does what we want it to do you’re going to end up holding fewer and fewer back,” said Nelson.
An estimated 4,500 students could be held back and the legislation would go into effect for the 2023-24 school year.
The Senate Education Committee approved Nelson’s bill and an amendment was added that would give a student three tries to pass a literacy test before it’s determined the student must repeat the third grade.
“It’s going to be the kids who are really struggling with reading that are going to be held back,” said Nelson.
Nelson’s legislation is modeled after a program in Mississippi that he says has boosted literacy rates in the Magnolia State. He says if a third-grader fails the literacy test on the first try, he’ll get intensive tutoring.
“And so in Mississippi, it varies by the year, but it’s between 3 and 5-percent that actually end up passing because they get that extra training,” said Nelson.
This legislation will be discussed again on the Senate floor and if it passes, it will need to go back to the House for a vote on Senate changes.
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