3rd Grade Reading Bill Passes Senate

The Michigan Senate has cleared legislation that could require kids who aren’t reading at grade level to repeat the third grade.

The measure requires students to hit certain reading benchmarks before advancing to the fourth grade.

State Senator Phil Pavlov says the Senate made changes to the bill, which passed the House last fall, to build in more safety nets for kids, more parental involvement and to give students more options than just being held back a year.

Among the changes is allowing a parent to file a good cause exemption that may show why their child isn’t reading at grade level, which could then allow the child to advance to the fourth grade.

The legislation now goes back to the House where lawmakers there aren’t on the same page with the Senate on the changes.