A bill to hold third graders back if they fail to pass a literacy competency test advances from the full House. Mandeville Representative Richard Nelson’s bill failed the final days of the session last year. He said this bill gives students three opportunities to pass the test…
“They will also have a good cause exemption, if the student who has English as a second language, students with a disability with an IEP, and also students that have been held back twice will be exempt from requirements,” said Nelson.
Students who fail the test would receive intensive instruction and two additional opportunities to pass the test.
House Bill 12 is modeled after a Mississippi law and New Orleans Representative Delisha Boyd questioned why Louisiana would model a program after a neighboring state’s considering its current ranking…
“Nationally they rank Mississippi 45th so I don’t think we want to cheer on Mississippi when they’re still scoring 45th,” said Boyd.
Boyd argued that it isn’t the child who should be punished and held back, it’s the teachers who are failing the students.
“Your only choices are you hold them back for a year and give them the extra training they need, or you hold them back for life when they move on and can’t read for the rest of their life,” said Nelson.
“No actually there’s another solution,” said Boyd.
Boyd said the state needs to hire more certified teachers, so students are able to read on grade level. The measure passed on an 88 to 15 vote and advances to a Senate committee.
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