Many states in the US let students repeat the third grade if they have poor reading comprehension.

Many states in the US allow students to stay in third grade if they do not pass the national education assessment test, especially in Reading skills.

Last year, only 33% of fourth graders scored proficient or above in Reading, down from 35% in 2019.

Meanwhile, this is a pivotal skill, important for students to be able to learn subjects such as Math, Science , Social Studies... in the following years. Research by the Annie E. Casey Foundation also shows that third graders who lack reading comprehension skills are four times more likely to drop out of school.

To address this, Tennessee, Michigan, North Carolina and many other states have relied on assessment results to require students to stay in third grade. States such as Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and Nevada have also issued similar regulations that will take effect in the coming years.

Photo: Associated Press — Photo: *Associated Press*

However, this idea is not supported by parents and schools. They say that it is impossible to rely on a single test to assess whether students can continue studying with their friends or not.

"I understand they want to address the learning gap, but this is the wrong approach. There's nothing fair about it," said Katherine Bike, a member of the Knox County School Board in Tennessee.

Representatives of Nashville Public Schools in this state expressed similar opinions. They said that the decision to hold students back should be a consensus between parents and schools, based on the learning needs of the students.

Creed Hasse, a student in suburban Nashville, was among those who received free tutoring after scoring below the proficient level on the third-grade reading test. His mother, Jacqlyn Hasse, worried about the social pressure Creed would feel because he was a year older than his classmates. If he failed a grade, he could drop out of school.

On the contrary, politicians and education officials say that requiring students to repeat a grade if they fail is to motivate them to study better.

Retention laws often come with policies that provide free tutoring and tutoring. Students who fail the Reading test must enroll in summer school or accelerated classes if they want to move up a grade. As a result, very few students fail. This year, for example, in Nashville, 70% of students failed Reading, but only 1.4% of them were held back. In Memphis, also in Tennessee, the figures were 76% and 1%.

Mississippi, which introduced a literacy mandate in 2013, is a model of success. The state retains about 4-10% of its more than 400,000 third-graders due to low reading scores and other reasons. These students receive special support.

This year, Boston University compared the academic performance of students who barely passed the fourth grade exam in Mississippi with those who failed. The results showed that by sixth grade, the group who failed had significantly improved their English language arts scores, outperforming the other group.

“We want parents to see repeating a class as an opportunity, not a threat,” said Bob Nardo, CEO of Libertas School in Tennessee, where 10 of its 50 third-graders are repeating a class.

Still, some states, like Ohio, are considering repealing the policy, which was implemented in 2012. Some studies have shown that retaining students has short-term benefits that diminish over time. Students who are retained may be bullied or become more likely to become bullies.

Phuong Anh (According to World Street Journal )

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