Missouri educators push back on bill forcing struggling readers to repeat 3rd grade
State Rep. Cathy Joy Loy, a Republican from Carthage, said the bill, which aims to automatically keep Missouri third-graders who are struggling to read, is a “tourniquet” to “stop the bleeding of kids who aren’t reading.”
But school administrators who spoke to the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday morning said literacy rates have improved three years after the state implemented a teacher training program on phonics-based reading instruction. They argue Loy’s bill could disrupt that momentum.
“We are seeing progress,” Taneyville Superintendent Brandi Turner said. “But meaningful, systematic change takes time, consistency and ongoing support.”
In 2022, state lawmakers pass a law invoice Requiring “evidence-based reading instruction” with interventions for struggling readers. In response, the state’s education department launched a study. “Read, Lead, Transcend” initiativewith resources for educators and a teacher preparation program. Over 10,000 educators completed the training in three years.
Turner said lawmakers should “allow time to fully implement” the 2022 law.
“Retention does not address the root cause of reading difficulties,” he said. “It only retards progress without ensuring better results. While the goal is to support struggling readers, the practice itself cannot solve the underlying challenges students face.”
Many states became interested in mandatory retention after Mississippi adopted the policy as part of a broader literacy law in 2013.
Mississippi’s fourth grade readings since 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress scores increased It rose from 49th to ninth in the country. Educators have pointed to the data as at least a sign of short-term gains for students, but whether the policy leads to long-term success is harder to discern.
While Mississippi’s fourth grade scores have risen rapidly over the past decade, eighth graders have more modest gains. The state ranked 50th in eighth-grade reading assessment in 2013, but ranked 41st in 2024.
Troy Lentz, superintendent of the Mexico School District, told the committee he did not see enough evidence that having students repeat 3rd grade would help them in the long run. He was concerned about students who were doing well in some subjects while having difficulty reading.
“There are things that kids are good at, and (if they’re protected) they can’t progress,” he said. “I believe our schools provide intensive reading support for the rest of the children.”
But allowing struggling readers to move into 4th grade “is a recipe for disaster,” according to the committee’s chairman, state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Republican from Harrisonville.
“Passing these on is not an aid, a benefit, or anything else,” he said. “In my opinion, this will probably lead to more disastrous consequences.”
Craig Carson, assistant superintendent of learning for the Ozark School District, said failing the grade should remain an option left to a student’s parents.
“We look at the child holistically and help the parent decide whether this is a good idea,” he said. “Sometimes that’s the best idea, and when it happens, I totally support it.”
“I don’t think forced triggering is good,” he added.
In its current form, the bill would automatically retain students who score “at risk” on a reading screening administered at the end of third grade. Students with disabilities, English language learners, and those who have fallen behind once before may qualify for exemptions.
Otto Fajen, director of legislative policy for the National Education Association of Missouri, said the bill “at a minimum” would require students to have the option of enrolling in a program such as tutoring or summer school to avoid being forced to repeat a grade.
“It is difficult for us to see the law changing to remove parental authority in these decisions regarding student retention,” he said. “Especially since in its current form it would basically be based on a single event score.”
