More States Retaining Struggling 3rd Graders

Some families in Tulsa, Okla., recently received a brochure that surely grabbed their attention. The title? "Will your child pass third grade?"

Produced by the 15,000-student Union district, the handout explains the state's pending reading requirements for students to advance to the 4th grade. It also outlines what the district is doing to help students read and offers tips for what parents can do at home.

Oklahoma is one of several states that recently adopted new reading policies that—with limited exceptions—call for 3rd graders to be held back if they flunk a state standardized test.

Iowa lawmakers are debating an education package from Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, that would do the same. The retention measure is part of a recently approved House bill, but not in a version passed by the Senate education committee. In New Mexico, a plan backed by GOP Gov. Susan Martinez passed the House this year but died in the Senate.

All the plans appear to take a page from the playbook in Florida, where a policy to end the social promotion of 3rd graders was enacted under former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Supporters say that retention is intended as a last resort, and that a key goal of the policies is to place a greater focus—and apply some extra pressure—to make sure schools intervene early with struggling readers. Without an adequate ability to read, they say, children are ill-equipped to learn across disciplines and may never catch up.

But critics say that it's misguided to base a promotion decision on a standardized-test score, and that holding a child back may do more harm than good. They also express concern over whether states will provide the money to help districts succeed with students deficient in reading, especially in a time of tight budgets.

In fact, Texas' education commissioner recently signaled that he might suspend his state's retention policy, which targets 5th and 8th graders, if sufficient state aid for interventions is not restored.

Kathy L. Dodd, an assistant superintendent for the Union district, which covers southeast Tulsa and a portion of Broken Arrow, counts herself among the skeptics of Oklahoma's new policy, which was backed by Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican.

But as the date of the mandate for 3rd graders—the 2013-14 school year—gets closer, her district has begun reaching out to families of kindergartners and 1st graders to be sure they understand what's at stake.

"We're having a lot of conversations with parents," Ms. Dodd said, "and we've created a brochure that outlines for parents how they can begin preparing for this expectation."

Following Florida

State retention policies tied to standardized-test scores are not new, though the design varies.

Texas and Louisiana, for instance, target multiple grade levels and both reading and math achievement. Some large urban districts, including New York City and Chicago, also have retention policies tied at least in part to standardized tests.

But some states are now pursuing approaches inspired by Florida's policy, which took effect in the 2002-03 school year.

That law requires 3rd graders who score at Level 1, the lowest of five levels on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, to be retained. There are exemptions, however, including for certain students with disabilities and English-language learners. In addition, students may demonstrate their readiness for 4th grade through a portfolio or an alternative assessment. Also, a student may retake the FCAT in reading.

Ending social promotion is just one dimension of the Florida policy, said Jaryn A. Emhof, the director of state initiatives and communications for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a group led by former Gov. Bush, a Republican, that promotes Florida-style policies in other states.

"Even though social promotion gets the most attention, it covers a lot beyond [that]," she said of Florida's approach.

Ms. Emhof notes an emphasis on early identification and intervention for struggling readers, as well as summer reading camps and mechanisms to ensure retained students don't get the same experience twice. In fact, Florida requires retained 3rd graders to get daily reading blocks of at least 90 minutes and to be assigned what the state calls a "high performing" teacher the next year. Still, Ms. Emhof argues that the retention provision for 3rd graders is a crucial ingredient.

"It's in human nature," she said. "When you know there's a deadline, it forces behavior and attitude change and refocuses everything. ... That line in the sand, so to speak, is really a catalyst."

But the policy is still controversial among Florida educators.

"After 10 years, I don't like it. I don't think it's good for kids," said Doug A. Whittaker, the superintendent of the 16,200-student Charlotte County school district in southwest Florida. "I don't care how the adults frame it: The people making those decisions forget what it's like to be 8 years old."

Mr. Whittaker said he's not opposed to holding students back, but said such action should not be driven by a test score. "It really should be a team of people that make the decision, including the parents," he said.

Margaret A. Smith, the superintendent of Florida's 62,000-student Volusia County district, said she would prefer not to have the policy, but acknowledged that it has some value.

"On the positive side, it has helped to focus on the significance of students' being able to read well to be successful in all subjects," she said. "We've made the best of it."

The number of retentions of Florida 3rd graders more than quadrupled in the policy's first year, from 6,400 to 27,700. But the number has steadily declined. In 2009-10, the most recent year for which data were available, the number was 12,200, or about 6 percent of 3rd graders.

Despite the decline, a recent federal report shows that Florida students represented one-third of all 3rd graders retained in a nationwide data set. ("Data Show Retention Disparities," March 7, 2012.)

Ms. Emhof points to state data showing that far fewer students now score at the lowest ...

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